Thomas A Young

Thomas A. Young (74) passed away on Wednesday, February 6, 2014 at Village Manor Care Center while surrounded by his loving family. Tom had long dealt with medical complications related to having acquired Hepatitis C in 1982 after receiving blood transfusions while being treated for Aplastic Anemia. Tom was born in Walsenburg, Colorado, in 1939 to Robert and Grace Young. His many years attending the Baptist Missionary Society with his mother as a young boy seemed to help set the stage for his compassionate care-giving and care-taking of many others throughout his life. He attended CU and received a BS in Engineering and worked in this field for the duration of his working career. Tom moved to Denver after graduating from college and not long after married Marsha Farley in 1965 and within a few years began their family. Amy was born in 1967, Elizabeth in 1969, and Laura in 1970. Tom was an involved father who took a hands-on approach to parenting during a time when this was not yet the norm for fathers. Throughout his varied career as an engineer, Tom worked as a civil engineer, a structural engineer and a mechanical engineer. He worked on buildings, bridges, drainage projects, industrial baking equipment, and a myriad of other types of projects. At one point he started his own construction company, T.A. Young Construction, which he ran out of the basement of his house. Well known building projects he was involved in include the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Denver and the Federal Center in Lakewood, Colorado. Tom's family had the joy of sharing in his passion for engineering, which meant many a drive to look at construction projects or checking on detention ponds in the middle of a rain storms. Inquisitive, compassionate, witty, and loving are common words used to describe a man who was filled with joy and was quick to share his heart and humor with others. Tom was deeply involved with his church community and his love of the Lord was woven into all he did. His church involvement included being an Elder, teaching various ages of Sunday School, and participating in two small-group bible studies which resulted in life-long friendships, one group, the Roadkill Rowdies, continues to meet every-other week. An avid Broncos fan, Tom attended almost every home game for 53 years, and had season tickets for 51 years. He was generous with sharing his tickets and enjoyed being able to share his passion with others. Throughout his life, Tom enjoyed playing softball, flying kites, making stained glass, attending Denver Nuggets games, going to plays and the symphony with his wife and spending time with his family. After retiring, he became actively involved in Kiwanis, and volunteered over 700 hours for The Action Center (of Jefferson County). Tom is survived by his wife, Marsha Farley Young, daughters Amy Young, Elizabeth (Del) Smith, and Laura Young (Susan Purdie), grandchildren Emily, Katy, Anna, and Chloe Smith, and sister, Bobbye Young (Shirley Schmitz).