"I wouldn't be here without him," Lindgren said.

Teves graduated in June with a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Denver, where he met Lindgren.

His best friend, Ryan Cooper, recalled Teves' kindness.

"We love going to football and basketball games together," Cooper said. "As much as he loved that, he would take time and miss those games to mentor kids in the community who didn't have dads and were just really hurting."