We Remember
YOUNGEST, Michael “Mike” Gordon
January 17, 1965 — January 19, 2026
Mike Youngest passed away on January 19, 2026, at 61, peacefully; though he would likely argue that no departure is truly peaceful if it interrupts a good plan, a better trip, or a half-finished project that “just needed one more thing.”
Born in Manitoba and raised in equal parts of the BC Lower Mainland, New Zealand, and the Okanagan, Mike learned early that the world was wide, interesting, and best approached with curiosity and sturdy boots. This habit never left him. He spent his life exploring nature and wandering the world, often with a map that was more suggestion than instruction, and forever driven to discover what could be seen from the top of the hill or found around the next corner.
In 1987, at Simon Fraser University, Mike met Deb. In 1988, he married her. They were constant companions and best friends from the very start; 38 years together marked by loyalty, laughter, and a shared understanding that wherever they were going, they were going together.
In 2001, Mike and Deb returned to the Okanagan and settled in Lake Country, BC once and for all. There, Mike built a home, built a business, but most importantly, built a family. He was a devoted family man and immensely proud of his son Adam, who grew into a spitting image of his dad – right down to the confident stride and the look that suggested he could probably fix that. Mike was thoroughly delighted to welcome daughter-in-law Lisa into his life. Perhaps his best day ever was learning that his first grandson was on the way, due mid-February, a fact he shared with unmistakable joy.
Mike was never afraid to take on a challenge. He was a consummate handyman, backyard mechanic, and landscaper; legendary in his ability to fix just about anything, usually with whatever happened to be nearby. Instructions were optional. His twin mottos were “it’s already broken, might as well try to fix it” and “better keep that leftover scrap of wood, it’ll come in handy.”
While the great outdoors always had his attention, Mike’s itchy feet really got moving after retiring in 2021. He camped east to Prince Edward Island, south to Texas, and north to Dawson City. He checked off bucket-list trips to Saint Martin, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands, and spent many happy days “off grid” in the local backwoods and the Rocky Mountains, which he loved most of all.
Mike is survived by his beloved wife Deborah, his partner of 38 years; his son Adam (Lisa); his soon-to-be-born first grandson; sister Yvonne (Tadashi) Fukada, sister-in-law Tracey (Andrew) Cuthbert; parents-in-law Odleif (Marianne) Skonnord; niece Andrea and nephews Simon and Graeme; and many extended family members and friends. His parents, Gordon and Gladys Youngest, predeceased him.
Mike lived the way Mark Twain once advised: by exploring, by keeping good company, and by refusing to be bored by the ordinary. The world is quieter without him.
In accordance with Michael’s wishes, there will be no formal service, no stiff chairs, and no requirement to behave solemnly on his account. He preferred that he be remembered in motion: on a trail, by a campfire, under a wide sky, or mid-story with laughter getting in the way of the ending.
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