Martha Elaine Canum

Our measure as Children of God is not only in our belief in our Creator, but also the way we treat one another as a part of that Creation. As Paul stated in his first letter to the Church at Corinth, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Martha Elaine Canum née Picklum embodied this belief fully. Her unwavering faith in Christ and hope for humanity were eclipsed only by her love for family, friends and many others who came into her life.

Born to Charles and Ruth (Delp) Picklum on March 25, 1930, in Ordway, Colorado, Martha was the second youngest of 5 children. She always maintained close relationships with her parents, siblings, cousins and all of their children even when their directions in life took them far away. After enrolling as an art student at the University of Northern Colorado, Martha met Kenneth Canum and they married soon after on June 24, 1948, in what one local paper proclaimed, “Canum/Picklum: a well-preserved marriage”. Their first child Cheryn, was born in Denver the next year, followed by Susan in 1951 and Robert in 1955. True to her love for others, Arthur and Eunice came to live with them as young children and were raised as their own.

Martha’s love of others knew few boundaries. The spouses and stepchildren of any of her children or grandchildren entered the fold of her love and care. Many of Martha’s international travels resulted in the adoption of still others into her circle, many of whom she continued to communicate with decades after. She instilled this in her children and grandchildren, caring for her mother in her later years and even providing homes to some of her children and grandchildren. This care returned to Martha in her later years, spending the last 16 years of her life in Cheryn and John’s home where there were also frequently one or two other generations of family residing. There rarely passed a day when Martha and others were not doing a jigsaw puzzle or playing card games; the only area where her scruples were questioned much like her mother’s. A devout Christian, Martha spent decades as a part of the of Mission Hills Baptist Church family in Littleton, Colorado before moving to California. The church to which she, Cheryn and John became a part over Martha’s last few years, she connected with at a fundraising car wash; true to her nature of expanding her global family. Martha remained active with her fellowship family at Castleview Baptist Church until her last days.

Second only to the love of her family was Martha’s love of God’s creation. A lifelong artist, gardener, and nature lover, she used her talents to share her visions from traveling the world, the country and of course her beloved Colorado. Flowers dominated many of her creations done in watercolor, pastels, oils, and other media. Travel to China, Europe, the American Southwest and especially the years she taught English in Japan influenced periods of her art. Martha’s paintings of Colorado landscapes and flora found their way into galleries all over the state, including winning awards at juried exhibitions such as the Gilpin County Arts Association, the Denver Symphony Designer’s Show, the Depot Art Center (1983 Grumbacher Award), Foothills Art Center Annual Membership Show, Littleton’s Own Your Own Original show, the Littleton Western Welcome Show (Purchase Award from Littleton National Bank), and the Edge of Cedars Art Festival (People’s Choice, First in Oil Professional and Best of Professional). In 2013, the Denver Art Museum featured an exhibit of 60 paintings titled “Martha Canum: Four Seasons.” She was a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Littleton Fine Arts Guild, the Foothills Art Center and the Colorado Artists Association.

In 1983, Martha’s husband Kenny went home to be with the Lord, followed by her father Charles in 1985, her mother Ruth in 1987, her sister Neva in 2004, her sister Laura in 2014 and her brother Warren

in 2019. She is survived by her 4 children, 16 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and many hundreds and thousands she made a part of her life through her love.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Castleview Baptist Church Building Fund in Martha’s name at castleviewbaptist.com/give. Please feel free to also support Mike and Sue Keator with RUN Global (runglobal.org/give) and Ray and Mary Francis Meister with Campus Crusade for Christ (give.cru.org), both causes of which were dear to Martha.