Ryan Wayne Kanady

Ryan Wayne Kanady, 42, formerly of Idaho Falls, passed away at St. Luke’s in Boise, Idaho, on August 15th, 2023.

Ryan was born in Idaho Falls, ID., on October 5th, 1980, to Wayne and Patti Kanady (Campbell). He attended Idaho Falls High School and College of Western Idaho in Boise. He had 15 credits remaining to complete his degree and wanted to pursue a career working with animals in the veterinary industry.

From a young age, Ryan demonstrated a high intelligence. He made it his mission to cash in on his “baby of the family” status when it came to getting out of chores and harassing his older sister and her friends. He was able to maintain this status up until the day she left for college. She laughed all the way to California, knowing that he would be stuck with doing the dishes.

Ryan was a Project Manager for Reliance Testing and Inspection, Field Inspector at GeoTek and later started his own business, RK Painting and Construction. Ryan took great pride in his work.

In 2003 Ryan married Jessica Howard (Hicks). From this union came Ryan’s first-born child, Braedan. Ryan was beyond proud of Braedan and the man he has become. To Ryan’s credit, he honored the man that ultimately raised his son, Brady Hicks. After Ryan and Jessica divorced, Ryan met Michelle Miller, and in 2010 came Ryan’s second pride and joy, Keison.

Ryan loved music, and if it was coming from his car, the louder, the better. Growing up, he loved playing baseball, snowboarding and racquetball but his true passion, extending into his adulthood, was skateboarding. Ryan also loved fishing, an interest he shared with and learned from his father. It was fishing that brought both Ryan and his dad together as they shared their last physical bonding moment, a memory his father will always cherish.

Ryan had a special bond with his mother. She was the first one he called at both the highest and lowest points of his life. She was undoubtedly his biggest fan, as he knew he could always count on her.

Ryan was preceded in death by his grandparents Noel and Betty Campbell, Arnold Kanady, Ethel Stone, aunt Gloria Faucet and brother-in-law Mark Bybee.

Ryan is survived by his father Wayne (Diane) Kanady of St. George, UT, mother Patti Campbell of Meridian, Idaho, sister Carly (Shane) Passey of Ammon, ID, sons Braedan Kanady of Logan, Utah, and Keison Kanady of Meridian, ID, nephew Christian Hansen of Ammon, ID and a plethora of friends that Ryan had touched in some way.

The family is beyond grateful for those who literally saved Ryan’s life prior to his passing. This includes the teams at Interfaith Sanctuary and St. Luke’s. The heroic life-saving measures they took, without knowing Ryan, gave us an abundance of gifts we are now realizing. We were given the opportunity to be in the presence of the strong family that we once knew. The greatest gift was the ability to say what was needed before saying goodbye.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Donations can be made to interfaithsanctuary.org in the name of Ryan.