Young brothers remembered by friends

By Reilly Capps
Published: Monday, August 29, 2005 6:36 PM CDT
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When Michael Young dropped his car off at his friend's house Friday morning, Brent A. Martin wasn't at home.

Michael was going camping with his brother, David, and they planned to take only one car so that they could drive together.

Martin had often gone into the wilderness with both David and Michael. The brothers shared a passion for fishing and hunting for birds.

But when they left for this trip, Martin wasn't around to say hello, and so he never got to say goodbye.

"Basically, I feel like I've lost two brothers," Martin said. "They were some of the best around."

Michael and David Young, close friends and brothers who were described as lively and fun by friends, died Friday evening in the Rio Grande National Forest when their Jeep veered off the road and overturned.

Michael lived in Mountain Village, and was an architect and volunteer firefighter in Telluride. David was a resident of Montrose who often visited Telluride to do work as an electrician.

Michael was in the passenger seat and was not the driver of the Jeep, as was reported yesterday in the Planet. David was in fact the driver.

David, 45, and Michael, 37, were the oldest and youngest siblings in a family of six children.

They are survived by three brothers: Patrick, 44, of Long Valley, New Jersey, and his twin brother Christopher of Acworth, Georgia; Jamie, 38, of Colorado Springs: and one sister; Jane Burkhart, 42, of Pine Island, Minnesota.

"We were all real tight," said brother Jamie. "When it came down to it, we were always there for each other."

The siblings became closer after the recent deaths of both their parents, and Michael and David made more of an effort to spend time together.

David's wife, Evette, said her husband was "very happy" to be going out into the wild with his little brother.

Raised in Crested Butte and Boulder, Michael and David both graduated from Boulder High School. After high school, David joined the Navy and worked on submarines in the Pacific.

Michael went on to graduate from CU's school of architecture. He moved to Telluride and worked as an architect. He was passionate about his job, friends said. This year, he started his own company, Young Design Group LLC.

David moved to Montrose in part at the invitation of his brother. Michael wanted David to wire the houses he designed.

They were often a team: Michael designing the houses and David doing the electricity.

When David found clients looking for an architect, he referred them to his brother.

David is survived by his wife and three children: Ashley, 21, a student at the University of Wyoming; Zachary, 20, a private in the Air Force stationed in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and Raquel, 18, who lived near her dad in Montrose.

"There's really no words," a shaken Evette said yesterday. "Part of me is gone."

David owned Wilderness Electric, an electric company.

Cynthia Sommers, office manager for the Telluride Real Estate Corporation, would often chat with David when he worked on the office lighting system. He did everything, from repairing jumbled wiring down to the simplest tasks. Last week, he was in the office to help with something simple.

"He helped me change the light bulbs," Sommers said. "I know it sounds terribly silly, but we have like a thousand of them. I couldn't figure them out."

An "incredibly friendly" person, David chatted with Sommers about his son.

Michael's beloved dog was along for the camping trip, and somehow survived the accident.

After the crash, the dog scurried off into the woods. But rescuers heard her barking, and coaxed her back toward the scene.

Suffering only a limp, the dog was friendly, and wanted to be petted. She's named Jamie, as a backhanded compliment to Michael's brother.

Jamie, a yellow boxer, was sent to the vet. But Doug A. Martin took the dog home with him. He said he wanted to have her near him.

Martin said he has been receiving calls from all over the country from people offering to take care of the dog, but Michael's friend Brian Nystrom planned to adopt her.

At the time of the accident, the brothers were both were wearing their seatbelts.

Although a report from the Colorado State Patrol states that the alcohol may have been involved, Mineral County Coroner Charles Downing, who was on the scene, said he didn't see any evidence of drunk driving.

"I did not see any open beer cans in the car," Downing said. "I'm not sure that alcohol is under investigation. As far as I'm concerned it's not."

As is customary, David's body has been transported to Colorado Springs for an autopsy and toxicology tests. Downing said he would know the results of the autopsy by today.

The Young family began to gather in southwest Colorado for memorial services. The three remaining brothers - Christopher, Patrick, and Jamie - drove from the Front Range together, and will be in the area for the memorial services.

Two memorial services have been scheduled for David.

The first will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. the Colona Community Church in Colona.

Funeral services will be held for David Friday at 1 p.m. at the Creede Community Church in Creede, with burial to follow.

Funeral services for Michael have yet to be scheduled. But he will be remembered at a memorial service Saturday at 3 p.m. at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Nystrom in Mountain Village.

Flowers can be sent to the Strohmayer Funeral Home in Monte Vista.