Kayleen Marie Peden

Our beloved Kayleen Marie Peden’s smile has stopped making the world brighter on August 11, 2025 at her home in Gillette, Wyoming. She was 47 although she usually seemed much younger because she smiled at everyone she met.

Kayleen first smiled at the world in Salmon, Idaho where she was born. Her beautiful smile spent time in lots of places as a child - Washington state, California, Alaska, Oregon, and Idaho. She smiled at her first husband, Travis Ball, when they were married in Salmon and then after they moved to Nevada. She smiled at each of her 4 wonderful children as they were born and grew. Her infectious smile brought joy and happiness to the people of Pocatello and Rexburg Idaho for several years after moving there. When Kayleen married her eternal companion John Peden, she smiled at a whole new family with 4 more stepchildren like they were her own in Idaho and finally in Gillette where she passed away.

Kayleen’s smile brightened the days of hotel clerks, tellers at the bank, people in line at the DMV, people pumping gas, people on a walk, police officers, doctors, drivers, neighbors, and anyone else she happened to see. And she saw pretty much everyone so… lots of smiles all around. In every way, Kayleen’s smile brought a smile to everyone she could. There was always someone she wanted to help, always someone she wanted to uplift.

Until the resurrection, Kayleen’s smile will be missed most by her husband John, children Allison, Trent, Jessica, and Ethan, her stepchildren Kimberly, Rebecca, Kaylee, and Rachel, her mother Christi and father John, her sister Melissa and her brothers Rhett, Jared, and Jason, Grandmother Kay, and about as many uncles and and aunts and nieces and nephews and stepbrothers and stepsisters as any human being has ever had. We tried to think of everyone that she loved like a brother or sister and it’s just not possible to even count them, let alone list them. Chances are that you have been smiled at by our wonderful Kayleen. And if you haven’t, she definitely wanted to.

Her lovely smile will be missed at every checkout lane, every intersection on the street, and everyone who walks through a church or the store.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 15, 2025 at 10:00 am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints building at 2903 Allen Ave in Gillette at 10 am and another Monday, August 18, 2025 at 11 am at the Highway 28 building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Salmon, Idaho with the burial to take place at the Salmon city cemetery. Memorials and condolences may be sent in care of Gillette Memorial Chapel 210 West 5th Street, Gillette, WY 82716.