Gregory Blake Canida

Gregory Blake Canida

October 18, 1974 – October 31, 2025

Gregory Blake Canida was born on October 18th, 1974, in Wichita, Kansas, to Gayle and H.B. Canida. He gained his wings and departed from this world on October 31, 2025, in Norman, Oklahoma.

Greg grew up and attended Washington High School in Washington, Oklahoma, where he graduated alongside the Class of 1993. While in high school, he was a proud teammate of the Washington Warriors football team, while working on the Haynes Family Sod Farm. Soon after he graduated high school, he went on to work as a contract and company pumper in the oil field. His last, and most proud position, was with B&H Construction in Goldsby, Oklahoma. Following his hard-earned promotion he received in 2015 as Area Supervisor over North Texas, he and his family moved to Weatherford, Texas, where they made a very happy home and life together. He thrived off of tenaciously working hard to provide for his girls, and his grandson Wade or better known by Greg as “Tootie.”

Greg will be forever remembered by all who knew him for his kind heart and deep love for his family, especially “his girls”: the love of his life and wife, Mandy, “Hunnies,” his only daughter Blake, “Punkins,” step-daughter, Natalie, “Ratolian,” Gayle, his “mama,” as well close and extended family and friends that he met along the way. He had the gift of making friends everywhere he went, and he has been to a lot of places. Greg was an animal lover and was often referred to as and will be remembered by his close family as “Snow White,” considering every animal, and small child’s connection to him.

Greg will also be remembered for his passion for dirt bikes, the Colorado mountains, his firm belief in Bigfoot, and his love for playing the guitar, which he played beautifully by ear and proudly sharing his gift with his daughter, Blake. Greg loved most music genres, particularly “hard rock”, Guns N’ Roses being his favorite of all time. A man of many hobbies, dirt bikes held a special place in Greg’s heart. He was incredibly proud of his Honda XR400R dual sport that he rebuilt himself, so that he could ride through some of the most beautiful mountain passes and trails in Colorado each summer. Wanting to share his love for the outdoors with Blake, he bought her a Beta 125, and an “Itilan” (Italian) bike that he always dreamed of having. He did this with pride and excitement for both him and his daughter, sharing the experience together. He truly loved tinkering, building bikes from the ground up, and had an amazing gift for fixing everything with his hands, if he didn’t know how – he always would figure it out.

Greg loved OU Sooner football, he never missed the Sports Animal before and after each game. His two favorite holidays were the Fourth of July and Halloween, in which both will be bittersweet to his family for years to come. Greg had a quiet personality to most, but he was the first to dress up in costumes on Halloween, shamelessly. He always managed to make those around him laugh at the least unsuspecting times. He also loved classic scary movies, especially Friday the 13th, and would often playfully repeat Jason’s famous “ch-ch-ch, ah-ah-ah,” a memory sure to bring laughter and a beautiful memory to his daughter for years to come.

Greg was a natural storyteller, with a very mischievous and otherworldly charm that made his tales unforgettable. One of the more iconic stories he claimed to be true was about the scar on his left shoulder. He claimed that it was from an arrow that grazed him during an “Indian attack.” He told it with such confidence that his daughter believed it for many years. The real story, as his mother, Gayle, shared, was pure Greg: as a kid, he and some friends made a pact to become “blood brothers” he went first, but the others changed their mind at the last minute. Greg’s stories, humor, innate compassion for people including strangers were a part of who he was.

Greg was always willing to give the shirt off his back to anyone, including a stranger. He believed deeply in other’s potential, never judging, and being kind to people from all walks of life, especially those who struggled. Greg was a private man but carried his faith with him everywhere, he was a very strong man who had a very deep faith for God and his Christianity.

Greg met the love of his life, Mandy, in the fall of 2000, and on August 27th, 2002, they were married at the Little White Wedding Chapel drive-thru in Las Vegas, Nevada. Greg welcomed Mandy’s daughter Natalie Boatwright into his life before very proudly and happily welcoming his only and forever daughter, Blakely James Canida, to the world three years later — as he chased fire alarms in the hallways of the hospital to reach her and always laughed about the fact that she woke the whole nursery with her cries for he and his beloved wife.

Colorado was Greg’s happy place; he made sure that his wife and daughter would experience it and made sure that they loved it to the extent that he did. His favorite places included Taylor Park, the Taylor River, Lake City, Tin Cup, and Cumberland Pass — one of the many mountains passes he proudly climbed on his Honda XR400. These very special places are where both he and his spirit will be set free. Greg proudly held the titles of Husband, Dad, Grandfather (“Yetis”), Son, Brother, Brother-in-law, and Son-in-law, Uncle, and Friend. He had clever nicknames for everyone he loved, and those names will live forever in their hearts.

Greg is survived by his loving family and many friends who will forever carry his memory close to them: his wife, Mandy “Hunnies” Canida; his daughter, Blake “Punkins” Canida; his step-daughter, Natalie, and her fiancé, Darius Krieger; Greg’s grandchildren, Wade “Tootie,” Vienna, and Cora Krieger of Wynnewood, OK; his parents, Gayle and H.B. Canida of Norman, OK; his sister, Stephanie “Fruit” Canida of Norman, OK; his brother and sister-in-law, Kyle and Amy Canida of Broken Arrow, OK; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Mark and Ashli “Hawshi” Vaughn of Washington, OK; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Brad and Ashley White and their children Aliza and Ronan White of Vista, CA; his mother-in-law, Cindy Buchanan of Norman, OK; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Dean and Karen Hunt of The Villages, FL; his niece and nephews, Taylor Canida Henry, Cody and his wife Alex Canida, and Trent Canida; and his two beloved dogs and cat, Mister, Fender, and Zoila.

Gaining their wings before him were his Grandpa Bill and Emma Gene Oliver, who he would visit every Sunday afternoon for years. Also preceded by his uncle, Gary “Bub,” and his aunt, Lynn Oliver; his paternal grandparents, Burl and Sally Canida; and his adored family dog, Spud.

Greg was known as a gentle, observant “wallflower” who deeply appreciated the world quietly and at times was a man of very few words. However, he had many favorite sayings including but not limited to,

“Always do the right thing when no one is looking,” “Mercy me”, "short cutters always get cut short.” and “Brrrap.” He never missed an opportunity to pray each morning and every night. He shared with his wife and daughter that he would pull into an empty parking lot just to talk to God when he needed to. Greg will forever be the reason that his wife and daughter carry that on.

Greg’s friendly, kind-hearted spirit and infinite amount of love he had to share with the world will continue to live in spirit through his entire family and friends, and they can trust in all the signs from nature and music that he will be sure to send them.

Greg strongly held the Serenity Prayer close to his heart, and it provided him with peace and solace through many seasons of his life. It reads as follows:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference, Amen.”

Greg’s love, laughter, loyalty, and presence will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing and loving him.

Ride high in the mountains, Greg, until we see you again.

The family welcomes flowers. For those who wish to honor Greg in another way, contributions toward arranging for his ashes to be spread over the Gulf Coast by airplane would be deeply appreciated.