David Sean Canham was born in Toronto, Canada on July 9, 1985, the first son of Leslie and David Canham, and the first grandson to Pam and Brian Canham of Toronto and to June and Ted Rule of Vancouver. Sean was blessed with a big sister (Sarah), a little brother (Evan), a beautiful baby niece (Lili), and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He loved being around all of them, chatting, joking, playing sports, and later in life, having a few beers with them!
Seany's tour around North America with his family started with a move from Toronto to Calgary in 1986, where he became a big Calgary Flames fan. After moving back to Toronto in 1990, Sean became a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Blue Jays. He loved hanging out with all of his cousins, aunts and uncles. Sean started playing every sport imaginable including hockey, soccer, baseball, basketball, etc.. He continued his love of sports when we moved to Cary, North Carolina in 1993 where Sean played little league baseball, YMCA basketball and was on the local swim team. A major highlight was one year when his little brother Evan was on his baseball team and they won the championship together.
In 1997, the Canhams moved to Phoenix, where Sean attended Altadena Middle School and Desert Vista High School in Ahwatukee. He played two seasons on the Desert Vista Varsity Hockey team with his dad behind the bench as an assistant coach. His biggest highlight was scoring on a penalty shot against rival Mountain Pointe in his senior year.
Always an independent person, Sean left home at 19 to move into his own apartment and join the workforce. He went on to attend Mesa Community College but school just wasn't in Sean's top 10 list of things he enjoyed. He worked at University fo Phoenix as an enrollment counselor and subsequently moved into the insurance industry where he worked at Progressive Insurance, AIG and Countrywide, where he recieved his Property & Casualty Insurance License.
Sean was a big man with a even bigger heart, who truly valued loyal friendships. He loved hanging out with his friends, playing & watching hockey, playing video games, fantasy football, having the odd cigar, the occassional night at the casino, etc. He was proud to be a USA citizen but he was VERY proud of his Canadian heritage, and loved seeing all of his Canadian relatives and friends when they visited.
Under Sean's beaming smile, friendly and kind nature, he was in despair. He could not see the wonderful future he had ahead of him, that all of his friends and family could see so clearly for him. He was in too much pain and anguish to see any happiness in his future. He is at peace now, and we are so grateful that we had Sean for 24 years, he gave us such joy for which we will be forever grateful.
Seany, we miss you terribly. We love you more than you can imagine and are relieved that you are no longer in pain. We know that God and Papa have welcomed you with open arms and we know that one day you will do the same for us. We love you forever!