Kelsey Blackham

Kelsey was born February 3, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2008 she moved to California to live with her grandparents, Freda and Bob Breen, and her sister Brittany.

After graduating from Dana Hills High in 2013, Kelsey worked as a program aide at Boys and Girls Club where she was beloved by the children and staff alike. Kelsey cared deeply about making a difference in the lives of the children.

A faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Kelsey participated in her young-adult ward through her service. She was committed to her personal spiritual growth and was grateful to receive her endowment at the Newport temple in December 2018.

Despite the excellent, advanced care provided by doctors at the City of Hope Hospital, Kelsey’s cancer prevailed. Her seven-year battle only exemplified her selflessness. She endured exhaustive trials and volunteered for many studies hoping to help other cancer patients in the future.

Kelsey was a self-proclaimed “fan girl”: a female fan who is obsessive about books, movies, music, etc. Love of music led Kelsey to become the ultimate fan girl for the band 5 Seconds of Summer (5sos). When So. Cal. Hospice Foundation granted her final wish to spend one-on-one time with the band, Kelsey, Brittany, and two friends attended the band’s recording session at their studio in L.A. She credited the band and their music with helping her stay strong, saying, “I remained positive in the darkest moments when all I wanted to do was give up. They became my solace and my friends.”

Kelsey made a lasting positive impact on her niece and nephew’s lives. Even though separated by two states, Kelsey made Charlotte and Christian feel “like rainbows and happiness” through frequent FaceTime visits.

This remarkable young woman will be remembered as always having a smile on her face and for the sweetest, most innocent of personalities. Everybody who met her loved her and is better for having known her. We love you, Toots. God be with you until we meet again.

Kelsey is survived by her sister Brittany Blackham, brother Travis (Daisy) Steneck, niece and nephew Charlotte and Christian Steneck, grandparents Freda and Bob Breen, and grandmother Renee Blackham. She is preceded in death by her father Kent Blackham and grandfather Mark D. Blackham.

Funeral services will be held in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 16. Interment will follow at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park.

Friends and family plan a celebration of Kelsey’s life later this summer in California. TBA