Close Your Eyes (https://youtu.be/gDpndA9wpTw?…)

Arranged and sung by Andy at UVa

Dr. Andrew “Andy” Scott Youkilis passed away unexpectedly in his family home in Colorado on the morning of Oct. 30, 2024 at the age of 56. He was a passionate neurosurgeon, loving father, devoted husband, cherished colleague, and steadfast friend. He brightened the lives of everyone he came across. He was a true renaissance man; his many passions included cycling, music, hiking, mountain climbing, skiing, travel, acting, foreign languages (speaking Italian, Croatian, and Spanish fluently), history, bread-baking, pizza-slinging, dad-fashion, and so many more. He couldn’t pursue a hobby without excelling. He was also a natural-born teacher, always eager to share his knowledge and passion with others.

Andy was born on April 18th, 1968 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Marvyn and Nancy Youkilis. In his teens, he became the youngest captain to operate and navigate passenger-carrying vessels on Lake Erie, which he did for years, even enlisting as a captain in the US Coast Guard (District 9, Great Lakes). He graduated from Wyoming High School as Valedictorian, and then attended the University of Virginia, where he was awarded a coveted spot on the Lawn (5 West Lawn) his senior year. He was also a member of the Raven Society. While at UVa, he sang in the Glee Club and composed for and performed with the Virginia Gentlemen A Cappella group, both of which were continuous sources of pride throughout his life. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Italian and a minor in Music. After college, he worked as a translator in Milan, where he began dating the love of his life, Iva. They moved back to the US in 1991, where he attended Medical School at the University of Cincinnati. Andy and Iva were married in 1993, in Andy’s parents’ front yard. Shortly after his oldest son, Noah, was born, they moved to Ann Arbor, where Andy completed his residency at the University of Michigan. During this chapter, his sons Jacob and Sam were born. The family relocated to St. Louis, Missouri in 2003, and Andy began his extremely prolific and celebrated career as a neurosurgeon, where he touched the lives of so many. In 2015, Andy and Iva bought their beloved home in Dillon, Colorado, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The home immediately became Andy’s happy place, where the family took advantage of everything the mountains had to offer. In 2023, Andy accepted a position at the Medical School of the University of Missouri at Columbia (Mizzou), following a lifelong passion to pursue teaching. Andy and Iva quickly fell in love with the warmth that the Columbia community had to offer, and were looking forward to many more years in the home they were building there.

Andy’s achievements as a doctor were numerous. He completed his residency at the University of Michigan’s renowned neurosurgery program. In 2000, he pursued a skull base surgery fellowship in Torino, Italy. His career was marked by 17 years of dedicated pediatric neurosurgical mission work in Guatemala. With expertise spanning multiple areas of neurosurgery, he specialized in treating brain tumors, Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, epilepsy, movement disorders, spinal trauma and degeneration, and peripheral nerve conditions. At Mizzou, Andy found great joy in teaching residents, students, and team members, always eager to share his knowledge. A testament to his extraordinary skill and dedication, many patients followed him from St. Louis and beyond to continue their care with him at Mizzou. Always wearing a smile, Andy was known for his kindness and generosity, readily offering support to patients, families, colleagues, and trainees. His curiosity for technological advancements in neurosurgery kept him engaged in public discussions, where he frequently shared his insights on the future of the field, for example: St Louis Geo Spotlight--The History of Stereotaxy--A Geospatial Perspective with Andrew Youkilis (https://youtu.be/txwpQPKQPE8?…)

While it is easy to frame his life through his professional accomplishments, his many personal endeavors also defined him. Above all else, cycling was “his thing.” He cycled through Croatia, Italy, and the United States; and completed many arduous long-distance cycling events including, in recent years, the Copper Triangle (Colorado, 2016, 2017), Triple Bypass (Colorado, 2018 and 2019), and Maratona delle Dolomiti (Alto Adige, Italy, 2023), to name few.

In the final months of his life, he was still living life to its fullest. He traveled to Eldoret, Kenya with Iva and Sam in July 2024, where he spent a few weeks as a visiting surgeon at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. He remained dedicated to discovering new passions, like outdoor rock climbing, and continuing long-standing hobbies, like hiking—in August, summiting his 15th 14,000’ peak, Mount of the Holy Cross. His immediate family was blessed to have spent time with him in his final days. He is survived by his father Marvyn; his wife Iva Youkilis (née Špehar); his children Noah (Norika), Jacob and Sam Youkilis; his brothers, Brad (Julie) Youkilis and Bob (Tina) Youkilis, and Lucy, “the most beautiful dog in the world.”

The University of Missouri at Columbia is establishing an endowed lectureship in honor of Andy’s memory, entitled the "Dr. Andrew Youkilis Memorial Lectureship in Functional Neuroscience." In lieu of flowers, donations towards this lectureship would help honor his memory and continue his legacy. Donations can be made here: https://mizzou.us/YoukilisLec…. More information can also be found in the "Give" tab.

A service is scheduled for 11am on Sunday, June 1st at Congregation Adath Israel in Cincinnati, Ohio. A small gathering will also be held the following day from 6-8pm in St. Louis, Missouri. And in true Andy fashion, for those interested, a memorial bike ride will be held on Sunday, June 8th in Dillon, CO. Please RSVP in the "Events" tab for all events.

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/andrew-youkilis/obituary/

Copy