Carl Vincent Young III

Carl Vincent Young III last graced us after what he described as “One of the best days of his life”, and “The best thanksgiving ever” on November 24th, 2023, in Penrose Main Hospital. The nurses cried for his family, as every one of his children and grandchildren were there at the end. I don’t believe they had ever seen so many people there for one person. This one-of-a-kind man was born January 3rd, 1960, to Carl V. Young Jr. and Nancy Maloney Young in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he lived a responsible childhood as the eldest of five children and joined the military at the age of 17.

He was a veteran of the Gulf War and served in the Air Force as a Civil Engineer who specialized as a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration technician and was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Southeast Asia Service Medal, National Defense Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, and was recognized as an expert marksman. After serving his country for over 20 years and achieving the rank of Technical Sergeant, Carl retired from the Air Force and immediately began teaching at Westwood College, shaping the minds of future generations. Upon retirement from the Air Force, Carl continued to serve his country at Northrup Gruman where he worked as a Satellite Operator for 20 years. Throughout his time in the military, Carl made many memorable and loyal friends over the years.

During his deployment in South Korea, Carl would meet the love of his life, Chong Suk Cha, at a bar called Tropicana in Songtan, South Korea. When he first laid eyes on her he knew she was the woman of his dreams and bought her a drink to introduce himself. I guess they must have really hit it off, because not even four months later she became Chong Young on April 13, 1981. Not long after while stationed in Japan at the Yokota Air Base on March 13, 1982, he saw the birth of his first child by the same name Carl Vincent Young IV. Not long after that the happy couple saw the birth of their second child Benjamin Francis Young in Alexandria, Louisiana on July 12, 1983.

By the time his children reached adolescence, he and his wife had worked hard to give their sons a good childhood. His first son, Carl IV, recalls that “one of his favorite memories was a Road Trip from New Jersey from Colorado. They could have flown, but his father wanted to take the trip in his beloved Dodge Challenger. Carl IV stated that it was nice, stopping to see sunsets and grabbing dinner during their stops. He remembers sitting in the back floor, his head and arms using the back seat like a desk to sleep on.”

In September 19th, 1990, Carl deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm and when he returned home on March 19th, 1991. His son Benjamin recalls that “when he came home from Desert Storm, he was the first to recognize him coming off the bus. His face had changed so much, he looked as if the war had changed him. He looked rugged, like he had lost some innocence. Carl had thick whiskers and a short mustache, and wrinkles on his face that he didn’t have before (his beaming smile making sure those were obvious) and with a much darker tan. While it had only been 7 months, to Ben it had felt like an eternity and seeing him coming off the bus safely was one of the most joyous moments of his childhood.”

On January 16, 1994, Carl and Chong (also known as Sukie) flew to Korea to renew their vows to fulfill the wish of Sukie’s mother to see them wed. Something you should know about Carl is that there was nothing about his wife that he didn’t love, and that includes her culture. There wasn’t a day that went by where he didn’t speak at least a little bit of Korean, he loved the food, he loved the clothes, and he loved the music… both traditional and modern. He loved photographing all the small details and intricacies of Korean life back in the nineties, many pictures which we still have to this day.

On September 16, 2003, Carl saw the birth of his first grandchild and only granddaughter, Elysia Young, to his son Carl IV and Lawana Ingram. By the time his second grandchild was born, this time a boy, he was thrilled to learn that he would have the same name, Carl Vincent Young V (also known as Vincent). On October 14, 2012, he was overjoyed to welcome his daughter-in-law Amanda Young and grandchild Ashton Hughes to the family. Amanda states that “one of the best memories she ever had of Carl was at her wedding day. She felt so loved and accepted and could feel how overjoyed he was.”

All his grandchildren can agree that Carl was an amazing grandfather. He always had a sense of wisdom that he often bestowed upon them. His grandchildren each have precious moments with him, all special and unique in their own way. Elysia’s favorite memories of him were “how he told her stories about his life, both good and bad, and how he would always have deep talks with her about anything and everything. She loved the advice he gave and cherished how gentle and strong he was.” His grandson, Vincent recalls that “at his sister’s graduation, the room was loud and so Carl had to speak loudly to match, but just as the room went silent Carl loudly proclaimed, ‘Chicken Pot Pie!’ followed by immediate silence, and shortly followed after by laughter.” Of course, Ashton has his share too, where he tells that, “One of his favorite memories with Carl is when he took all his grandchildren to Comic-Con and Ashton recalls that he was dressed up in a red bandana and Vincent was in a camo vest. When Carl took them to go get dip-n-dots, Ashton stated that Carl thought it was hilarious seeing their Jury-rigged costumes; especially once he realized they were supposed to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!”

Collectively, his entire family all loved how much he loved. He loved every living creature and everything about life, but nothing was more precious than his love for the woman who completed his life, his beloved wife Sukie. He loved her with every beat of his heart and breath in his chest, and that is something beautiful that his entire family cherished about him. Sukie had to say that “he loved anyone, unconditionally. His dream to retire was so that he could take her to travel the world, reconnect with old friends and go see her hometown and family. She loved how he doted on her, taking her on dates to Cripple Creek, and loved that he was proud of her culture.”

A devout Roman Catholic until the day he died, he would always be sure to pray before mealtime and attend Sunday Mass. During and after Covid-19, Carl continued his attendance to Mass virtually and prayed every night. What did he pray for? I’m not sure, but I have a feeling he always had his family in mind.

He had a lot of hobbies and was a collector of the finer things in life. He sure loved his 80’s audio equipment, not to mention his interest in photography and cameras, and even more-so did he love his vintage muscle cars. He always behaved and vocalized how Sukie’s food was the best he had ever eaten, and he was known for his beautiful poetry. Carl’s love language was quality time and acts of service; he had a fondness for walks, fixing things, and family time. Carl was also known for being kind, gentle, doting, wise, dependable, and humorous.

Speaking of humor, everyone knew Carl for his wise-cracking jokes and good will. During his time, he had two dogs and for both he used to give attention to a fake dog to make the real dog mad. And it worked! He had a special love for animals, dogs in particular, and loved to rile them up and get them going.

He truly had a special relationship with everybody, not just humans, but all things living and feeling. The legacy Carl left behind is one of love and he is survived by his spouse Chong Young, his children and daughter-in-law Carl Young IV, Benjamin Young, and Amanda Young, his brothers Phil Young and Tim Young, his sisters Colleen Sterner, Kathy Coffee, and Sheril Wright, his father Carl Young Jr. and his grandchildren Carl Young V, Ashton Hughes, and Elysia Young.

His legacy is not only survived by his family, but by everyone whose lives he has touched. He made bonds between families, united forever because of his love. He loved and took in many people as if they were his own children and grandchildren and would be honored to know that his actions had not gone unnoticed. The impact this man made on this planet is immense, and his loss is dearly felt.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, December 6th at Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 3825 Airport Rd. Colorado Springs, CO 80910. Open visitation begins at 10:30, the memorial service by Reverend Adamson begins at 11:30, movement to Pikes Peaks National Cemetery is at 12:30, and an interment service begins at 1:00, followed by the reception at King Buffet, 801 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909.

Written by The Young Family.