Robert “Steve” Young

1943 — 2023

Robert Stephen Young, known as “the original Steve Young”, 80, of Ogden, UT, passed away August 10, 2023, at home with his family after a long, courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Steve was the son of Orson Whitney and Lucille Blair Young. He grew up in Ogden, attending Polk Elementary and graduating from Ogden High School in 1961. After graduation he joined the National Guard, then served an LDS mission to central Germany. He then graduated from Weber State University where his father was a professor of Zoology. While there, he was a member of the Delta Phi fraternity and was elected president of the Associated Men’s Students. He met the love of his life, Vicki Thurston and they married in the Logan Temple on December 20, 1967. He went on to earn a Master’s degree from Indiana University in 1972. From there, he worked for a number of cities and counties in Wyoming, Nebraska and Utah as a building inspector and regional planner. He also taught junior high school science. He served as a member of the National Guard for more than 20 years, using his German fluency as a translator, and served in Europe and Panama as part of his duties.

Though his family tried desperately to intervene, he suffered from a lifelong pun addiction that he was never able to break. Each utterance of “donut do it” or “avocado is better than no cado at all” would be met with groans, or more often silence and glares, but he could never help himself. He remained a child at heart and could be found careening down a snow-covered hill on a sled with his kids or laughing boisterously at the coyote running smack into a painted tunnel. He loved to hike in the Ogden foothills on the same trails that he enjoyed as a youth, and many days would walk five or six miles, for as long as he was able. He built and renovated several of the houses that his family lived in and was working on some sort of building project almost all the time. He was very active in the LDS church, including serving twice in Bishoprics and a senior mission to Dortmund, Germany, and was a participating member of Sons of Utah Pioneers. He had a magnificent singing voice and sang and played the cello for church many times.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Whitney Young and his sister Carolyn Young Larsen and his beloved dog, Murfee. He is survived by one brother, Douglas Young (Bonnie), his loving wife Vicki, four children Tobi Lyn (Steve Rulien) Young , Andrew Spencer (Robyn) Young, Benjamin (Niki) Young and Jonathan Tore Young; and seven grandchildren.

A viewing will be held at Myers Mortuary, 845 S Washington Blvd, Ogden on Thursday, August 17 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Funeral services will be held Friday, August 18 at 11:00 am at the LDS ward house at 1550 Rushton St, Ogden.

Steve’s service will be livestreamed. To watch scroll to the bottom of his obituary at www.myers-mortuary.com at the time of service. If unable to watch at this time his service will remain on the Myers obituary page indefinitely.