Arnold Young

Arnold Carl Young, (81), of Provo, Utah, passed away in the early morning of February 22, 2023.

Arnold (or “Arnie” depending on when you knew him) was born December 18, 1941 in Wenatchee, Washington to Carl and Betty (Herr) Young. He grew up in the Wenatchee area and graduated from Cashmere High School in the class of 1960. He later moved to various parts of central and eastern Washington, Idaho, Nevada and finally to Utah.

Arnold’s father was an orchardist in the Wenatchee valley, and Arnold spent his summers working in the orchards, harvesting apples and building crates. In high school, he played trombone in the band, wrestled and played football. In those high school years, he developed a love for hot rods and motorcycles, and founded a car club called the “Flywheels” that allowed him time to indulge that love with his closest friends.

He earned an Associates in Arts degree from Wenatchee Valley College and then spent 10 years as a photographer, practicing the art by capturing weddings, school photos and even barrel riders at local rodeos. He would go on to work as a ski lift operator, operate a family handyman and lawn care business, build log houses (including one for his family), thin trees for the US Forest Service, and work as a veneer mill foreman before getting re-trained in telecommunications, where he spent 14 years repairing telephones at correctional facilities.

In the fall of 1965, Arnold met and courted a young widow Tammie (Troppman) Franklin and they were soon married. He instantly became a family man and legally adopted Tammie’s three young sons: Andre, Bruce and Craig. They welcomed three more children to the family in the next decade: Debra, Enoch and Emily. They shared a love of the outdoors, often hiking and camping as a family.

Arnold’s love of open air and mountaintops brought him back into the leadership ranks of the Boy Scouts of his youth, and over the years, he served as Scoutmaster to many young men, including each of his sons, imparting to them the same love of the outdoors and respectful awe of nature.

In late spring of 1978, Arnold and Tammie received the devastating news that she had an aggressive cancer that would go on to claim her life within a year. Her death left him scrambling to care for his young children. In a desperate effort to start a new life, he sold all he owned and moved from Wenatchee to the small central Washington town of Cle Elum, where he would raise his children and also be a father to other families that came through his life.

In 2001, with the help of a dating app, Arnold met and courted Sydney Allen. He surprised her one day by dressing in full Scottish attire and proposing marriage. After marrying her, they made a home together in Provo, Utah, proudly tending to their backyard garden and chicken coop.

He and Sydney did a great deal of camping during their marriage, and traveled together to see the abundant national parks in Utah, as well as England and Scotland. The shared love of their Scottish ancestry gave them many opportunities to wear the kilt and attend festivals. Together, they served a Pioneer Trek mission at the LDS church ranch in eastern Utah and also three service missions at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, and continued as paid investigators at the MTC for several more years, helping new missionaries prepare for their missions.

Arnold was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Tammie (Troppman) Young and grandson Cory Daniel. He is survived by his wife of twenty-two years, Sydney Allen Young; his sisters Linda (Tom) Hart, Carol (Bruce) Randol; “their” children Andre (Robin) Young, Royan (Paul) Hunt, Bruce (Janine) Young, Dale (Darcie) Crafton, Craig (Shelli) Franklin, Debra (Ray) Alonzo, Allen (Raquel) Crafton, Willi (Curtis) Martin, Enoch (Kerri) Young, Emily (Brent) Knudsen, James (Clarissa) Frazee; 22 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.