"He was easy to love!"
To those who knew him, he was the cream of the crop. He had those attributes to which many of us aspire. He was good looking and personable. He was strong and he was tender. He was smart and he was understanding.He was a fearless athlete with an enormous will to win. In his short life he was an outstanding gymnast, swimmer, diver, football player, fisherman, surfer, and extreme skier. No cliff ever seemed too high or looked too difficult for Nick to tackle. His walls are covered with photos of his impossible flights through space.
Physical feats however, were but a part of this remarkable man. He was instantly likable and to his many friends, he was loved. He had a tender and generous heart. He wore his friendships like an old pair of shoes which one can never discard. He counted among his friends the young and the old, both male and female. Little children loved him too, and one got the feeling that his older friends, those of his parent's age, wanted to count him as their own. His attraction was magnetic.
His special art of conversation walked that delicate balance of listening and talking. He listened with intent and when he talked, the other knew he had been heard. His powers of observation and abilities to truly understand human beings made him uniquely valued. He was also an artist and a designer. He saw in three dimensions with an ease that maddened those of us who can't.
In the end, it may be his sense of humor that will be remembered and missed the most. With Nick, humor was always just a breath away. His humor came out of nowhere, and would surprise us with a relieving slap to the face. He saw humor all around him, and when he laughed it came from deep within him where happiness resides.
His passion was designing and making ski clothes. He worked long and hard at it, learned much, and was becoming known. It would have been his profession had he lived. But he did not. For some reason, known only now to God, Nick chose a life of addiction over the world of wonders that lay before him. He could not save himself from the demons within him, nor could the beautiful people who gave so much of their lives trying. Our hope is that he has found the happiness that so often eluded him, and that torment has been torn finally from his soul.
He is survived by his fianc
é
e, Kaira Bennee; his father, Lee Yokum; his sisters, Linda Hurtado, Toni Yokum; and his grandmother, Antoinette Yokum.
A memorial service will be held Wed., March 22, 2000, at 2 p.m. in the Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary Chapel, 10600 South 1700 East, where family and friends are welcomed to gather one hour prior to the service to reminisce and remember Nick. Nick will be buried next to his mother, Connie Yokum in the Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery.