July 5, 1980 - April 7, 2024 - Justin will be remembered as an incredible musician, a generous, warm spirit and a fun-loving, witty man with a heart of gold. Justin passed away peacefully on April 7th in Durango, CO with loving family by his side.
Justin was born July 5th, 1980 in Salem, OR, and grew up in Lake Oswego with his younger brother, Ryan. From a young age, Justin was imaginative, sensitive, and compassionate toward his family, friends and beloved pets. Throughout his life, he had a gift for creative expression through his music, writing and other artistic endeavors.
His love for music developed early on, beginning with piano, playing trombone in school bands and singing in choir. While attending Lakeridge High School (class of ’98), Justin discovered his passion for drums and percussion, and his lifelong nickname “Juice” discovered him! He poured his heart and soul into developing his drumming techniques, musicianship, performance and composition skills. Justin played with several different bands, including Savitri, Nimbus, Disco Organica and Lesser Bangs.
Justin graduated from University of Oregon in 2003 with a degree in Psychology and Music. Seeking a grand adventure, he took a year off before graduating to travel with friends to countries such as Tonga, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.
Wherever he went, Justin shared his warmth, kindness, beautiful smile and dancing, blue eyes with everyone he came into contact with. He never met a stranger and could strike up an engaging conversation with anyone. Known for his legendary hugs, Justin’s caring and generous heart was cherished by all. His family meant the world to him, he valued his dear friends, and he always wanted his loved ones to be happy.
Justin’s love for helping others led him to pursue a degree in nursing, and he graduated from OHSU’s School of Nursing in 2012. He spent ten years working in various capacities within the field of mental health care. Friends, patients and colleagues treasured Justin’s nurturing personality, patience, tenderness, and calm, gentle demeanor.
Justin was fond of deep, philosophical conversations, as well as sharing his playful, humorous, quirky side. A kid at heart, he enjoyed gaming, building Legos and doing voice accents and impressions. (Squirrel noises and pirate jokes were his specialties). Children adored him. He will be remembered fondly for playing, talking and joking around with his little brother, nephew, cousins’ children and his music students. He was known as “Uncle Junkin” by his adorable nephew, CJ.
In October 2021, Justin decided to pursue his passion for music full time and moved to Durango, Colorado. There, he discovered the beautiful landscape and felt embraced by the music community. He had the amazing opportunity to work in music education, first at I Am Music, and then at Stillwater Music. He joyfully taught drums and percussion to children and adults and performed with different bands such as The Concerns and Hello Dollface.
Justin is survived by his mother, Signe Charlier (Jim), his father, Mark Birge (Tenley), brother, Ryan Birge (Jennifer), brother, Landon Birge, and nephew Connor Birge. He will also be lovingly remembered by his aunts, uncles and many cousins.
A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, June 30th from 1-4pm at Ironlight in Lake Oswego, OR and at Stillwater Music on Sunday, July 14th in Durango, CO. To honor Justin, the family has created the Justin Birge Music Scholarship Fund (for details contact Mark Birge at markebirge@gmail.com ). Contributions may also be made online, in Justin’s name, to Stillwater Music (Durango) and Youth Music Project (West Linn).
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