Kay Canham

Kay Brundage Canham was small in stature but huge in personality. She knew how to use cuss words and her middle finger. She’d speak her mind, even when it made some cringe, though it mostly made us laugh and appreciate her even more.
She also loved flowers and angels. She painted beautiful ceramics fired in her home kilns. She made a fabulous roast each Sunday, decorated elaborate Christmas trees and gave the best hugs.
Kay died of natural causes on Jan. 25, 2022 at the age of 82. She was born March 18, 1939, the daughter of Walter Brundage and Jewel Smith Brundage. Kay was the third youngest of 13 children and she had a rough upbringing. Her father died when she was 12. Her mother had to work to support the family. Her surviving siblings are Susie (Roy) McCleery and Danny (Carol) Brundage.
Kay went to West High School where she fell in love with Gary Hyrum Canham. She was initially interested in one of his friends, but as she and Gary spent more time together, she said she fell for the “good guy.” Kay and Gary were married in Elko, Nevada on Aug. 24, 1957, on one of Gary’s short leaves from the Navy. Kay gave birth to their first son, Gregory, while Gary was stationed on the USS Warrick. They were reunited in 1958 when Gary was honorably discharged from active duty.
She lived on the same block her whole life, moving from her childhood house across the alley to the home where she raised her family. In between her house work, she painted her ceramics or crocheted while listening to a police scanner. She’d read one crime novel after another as she smoked her favorite filterless Pall Mall cigarettes. And then she got her first computer, getting hooked on games and chat rooms, where she made friends all over the country.
Kay is preceded in death by her loving husband Gary, who died just a few weeks before her. She is also preceded by her sons Gregory (Joseph) and Gary Steven (Lisa), and her infant daughter, Melinda. She is survived by her sons Robert (Rachel) and Michael.
Her grandchildren include Greg and Joe’s daughter, Brandy; Steve and Lisa’s boys, Matthew (Leah), Kristopher (Marin) and Adam (Tara); and Bob and Rachel’s children, Ian, Brandon, Benjamin and Kaylee. Her great-grandchildren are Mia, India, Evalyn, June, Marx, and Lexi. Her four-legged grandpuppy is Oliver.
As she got a bit older, she ended holidays and family gatherings with the same phrase — and it’s one she might be using now that her time here has ended — “Glad that’s over.”
Services will be held Tuesday, Feb. 1 at Mountain View Memorial Estates at 3115 Bengal Blvd in Cottonwood Heights, with a viewing at 1 p.m. and a graveside service at 2 p.m. The family would like to thank Canyon Home Care and Hospice for their assistance with her care.
Service Information
Viewing February 1, 2022 at 1:00 PM
Memorial Mountain View Mortuary, 3115 East Bengal Blvd, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121





Graveside Service
February 1, 2022 at 2:00 PM
Memorial Mountain View Cemetery, 3115 East Bengal Blvd, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121