Jeffrey David Young

Jeffrey David was born November 22, 1987, in a poor section of Manila in the Philippines. His future grandmother discovered him as a sickly two-week-old in a back room of a small orphanage there. She took him home to Clark Air Base to await the arrival of his new mother, Cindy Young, and thus began his life as a beloved member of the Craig Young family.

His sister Sarah arrived shortly after, and they became twins and the closest friends and partners in mischief by their adoption and move home to Loveland, Colo.

From his earliest years, Jeffrey was the enthusiastic, fun-loving, overly energetic person that he continued to be his entire life. If he could gather a gang of boys, he’d have them marching, or playing boisterously, or doing whatever seemed fun at the moment. As he grew old enough to play organized sports — mainly baseball, basketball, and soccer — he became the kind of kid coaches love because of his hustle and boundless enthusiasm. He was Filipino by blood but didn’t know that Filipinos are obsessed with basketball. He just loved it for his own reasons. Although he was always the shortest guy on the court, he could outjump most of the others and outrun them all. On the baseball field, he wasn’t a power hitter, but he could steal any base on the diamond. Throughout his life, he loved the Denver Broncos and the Colorado Rockies and had more clothing in purple than any other color. As an adult, he continued to throw himself into any team that would have him, as his collection of team T-shirts will attest.

Another passion that Jeffrey apparently inherited from his homeland was the Filipino love for music. Shortly after starting piano lessons, he insisted that he really wanted to play the violin. On the piano, songs were to be played loud and fast. On the violin, his training in classical music eventually led to his lifelong enthusiasm for fiddling with friends, which he pursued up until a few hours before he died. Whether it was concerts with the Rocky Mountain Youth Orchestra and String Quartet Program of Northern Colorado, recordings with the Academy III, performances by the St. Innocent’s Academy choir and band, jam nights at the Berthoud Brewery and Lucky Joe’s, gigs with the Rocky Bards, Stout Boys, Molly Higgins, and Bedlam Boys, or most hilariously his online alter egos the Pinoy Gang (singing and playing the fiddle, accordion, guitar, mandolin, keyboard, and bodhrán), his opportunities to play music with others provided a creative outlet and a great source of joy and friendships. And at any wedding reception, he wanted to have the microphone in his hand, emceeing the celebration, giving slightly embarrassing toasts, and then leading the folk dancing that inevitably would break out.

From his years at St. Innocent’s Academy in Kodiak, Alaska, he developed an appreciation for Orthodox Church music from all traditions, and he brought that love and talent to his roles as chanter and choir member at St. Spyridon Orthodox Church in Loveland for many years and as the director and encourager of the small choir at Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Boulder for the past year. It was one way he could live out his commitment to God and to offer his seemingly boundless energy in His service.

Jeffrey was homeschooled through his sophomore year, sharing the “classroom” with Sarah and his three younger siblings, whom he always cherished, even as they grew to adulthood. He then attended St. Innocent’s Academy, a small Orthodox school in Kodiak, where he remained as a staff member for another ten years after high school graduation. He earned an associate’s degree at Kodiak College, with a view toward continuing his education with a teaching degree. That didn’t happen, although he did spend a few years teaching Orthodox music to seminarians at St. Herman Theological Seminary in Kodiak. During his time at St. Innocent’s Academy, he joined in the mission work in Native villages, established friendships across southern Alaska, and was known to share in a treat of raw seal blubber with Native friends. He had great stories of a snowmobile-assisted hunt for moose, and he helped the academy fill its freezers with salmon. In recent years, he participated in several home-building trips with Project Mexico and traveled to Tonga to help with the construction of an Orthodox church.

Jeffrey David developed construction skills during his years working with academy crews, and he brought that know-how to Colorado when he returned, hiring on with builders before creating his own contracting company, 5th Street Construction. He was in the process of fulfilling a dream, the construction of a custom home in Rist Canyon, when he died.

A few years ago, Pugsley and Fender became canine members of his family. But as much as he fawned on “the boys,” it was his human family that could claim his true devotion. No matter how far away he was, he would make it a point to drive to a family event — if he remembered it was happening. He also recently started working on his skills in the kitchen and would proudly send photos of his successes to the family chat.

Jeffrey David is survived by his parents, Craig and Cindy Young of Loveland; sister Sarah Gonopolskiy and husband Anton of Franklin, N.Y.; sister Mercy McHugh and husband Father Gabriel of Loveland; brother Duncan Young of Loveland; sister Elizabeth Sinor and husband Ben of Loveland; nephews and nieces Sava, Nikolai, Arseny, Joachim, Anya, Ilia, Valerian, and Ia Gonopolskiy and Joseph, Lydia, and Mary McHugh; grandmother Cathy Weir of Fort Collins; grandmother Donna Young of Bandon, Ore.; godfather Peder Halseide of Fort Collins; godchildren Joachim Gonopolskiy of New York, Juliana Kudrin of Alaska, and Spiridon Ash of Alaska; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by baby sister Joy Noelle Young, uncle Duncan Weir, and grandfathers Robert Weir and Keith Young.

Jeffrey David described himself this way on his Facebook profile: “Striving to be an Orthodox Christian, small business owner, sports enthusiast, musician.” That pretty much covers it, although those close to him might add “beloved child of God; irreplaceable brother, son, uncle, and grandson; and treasured friend.”

Trisagion Prayers will be Friday, February 16, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Spyridon Orthodox Church, 807 W. 29th St., Loveland. A funeral service will be held Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at St. Spyridon Orthodox Church, with burial and prayers to follow at the northeast corner of Loveland Burial Park, 2200 block of North Lincoln Avenue. A meal will be offered at the church after the burial.

Memorial contributions may be made to:

St. Spyridon Orthodox Church, 807 W. 29th St., Loveland, CO 80538

Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, 5640 Jay Road, Boulder, CO 80301

Coletrain Music Academy’s Camp Coletrain, 518 Cedar St., Buena Vista, CO 81211

The Kayla Foundation, Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, 4745 Wheaton Drive, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO, 80525, attn: The Kayla Foundation.