“It isn’t what we leave behind, it’s what we leave in people’s hearts that matter.”
Michelle Lee Young (Silverthorne) of Clancy unexpectedly passed away on Oct. 24, 2023 at the age of 49.
Michelle was born on June 14, 1974 to Eileen Valdez and Ed Young in Murray, Utah. She eventually followed her heart to Montana and stayed to create and grow her beautiful family, graduating from Carroll College with her Bachelor’s in Education.
Michelle’s love and care for others led her to a career to advocate for children. Starting as a Spanish teacher, then becoming a CPS case worker and lastly, working as an SSI Specialist for the Department of Child and Family Services, Michelle poured passion into helping countless children grow and succeed. She also had her ‘fun’ part-time job that she loved and where she made many more friends at Nickels Casino as a bartender.
Her passion for helping children strengthened her family life by being a role model for her five children. Be it track, football, volleyball, basketball, nature walks or huckleberry picking, she spent her life dedicated to Austin, Kennedy, Kaynen, Brayden and Sienna and also her two grandchildren, Hayvn and Korbyn. She also shined bright on the sidelines of the soccer field as a coach, yelling at the TV rooting for the 49ers, and “cooking” (aka burning) family Sunday dinners.
Michelle gave her heart to her community as well. She always made sure to make it to city rallies to fight for and speak up for equal rights and social justices. She was everyone’s soft and safe place to land, for peace and unconditional love and support. In this moment, Michelle would hug us all and say, “Sana sana, colita de rana. Si no sanas hoy, sanas mañana.” This roughly translates to, “Heal, heal, little tail of the frog. If you don’t heal today, you’ll heal tomorrow.”
She is survived by her parents: Eileen Valdez and Ed (Sandy)Young; her siblings Troy Valdez and Gina Niksich (Brad); her seester and twin: Danielle Young (Eric); her children Austin Jonas (Laramie), Kennedy Engstedt, Kaynen Martin, Brayden Martin and Sienna Engstedt; her grandchildren and her greatest pride and joys Hayvn and Korbyn Jonas; and a big extended family and many friends. Michelle’s life didn’t come to an end with her death, as she continues to live on through all who love her.
Services will be held at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Avenue, on Nov. 4 at 1:00 p.m. with a light lunch reception to follow at funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to a charity of your choosing in remembrance of Michelle’s love or to the children’s Go Fund Me. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Michelle.
