David Gordon Young


David Gordon Young 1926 - 2016 David Gordon Young died at age 89 in Boise on September 8 from complications after a fall. Our dad was born the youngest of three children in 1926 in Kansas City, Missouri, to Laura Vernal Goodman Young and William Oliver Young. He grew up in and attended school in Kansas City until the family followed oldest brother Robert to the Pacific Northwest in 1941 for the job opportunities that WWII created in the Seattle area. Dad finished high school in Seattle and enlisted in the Navy the day after graduation in 1944. He served on the destroyer Floyd B. Parks until 1946. With the help of the GI bill, Dad attended Olympic Junior College and went on to Washington State College, where he received his degree in English with a minor in journalism. He contributed regularly to the school newspaper, edited a noon newscast for the campus radio station, and was the editor of the WSC humor magazine, "Faux Paws." He was elected a member of Sigma Delta Chi, now the Society for Professional Journalists. While at college, Dad met our mom, Beverly Jo Peers, and they married after his graduation in Beverly's home town of Mount Vernon, Washington. They lived briefly in Seattle before Dad got a job as advertising manager at Pictsweet Frozen Foods in Mount Vernon. They made life-long friendships while in Mount Vernon and it was there that their three children were born, daughters Christopher and Kimberly and son David. Dad returned to Seattle for another advertising position before he changed careers and accepted a job with Weyerhaeuser's Shipping Container Division in 1961 and moved the family to Boise. Dad established a new sales territory in Idaho and had a long, successful career with Weyerhaeuser before he retired in 1988. He became good friends with many of his clients along the way. Dad and Mom enjoyed the Idaho outdoors and led us on many happy camping, hunting, fishing, and bird watching trips. They also loved to travel and particularly prized exploring the American Southwest and Mexico. They enjoyed trips to the United States, Spain, Peru, Brazil, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, and Scotland. They were among the early travelers to a newly reopened China. Dad and Mom were enthusiastic and excellent dancers. Both were avid readers and Dad in particular was a geography and history buff. In later life, he spent many happy hours on his iPad exploring the world when it became too challenging to explore the world in person. After Dad's retirement, he and Mom traveled more and Dad volunteered at the Boise Visitors Center. Dad's passion was music, particularly jazz, and there was always a record on the turntable at our house. His tastes ran from Armstrong to Joplin—Janis, that is. He loved Louis Armstrong best of all and saw the Great Man in person eight times. Later in life, he got great pleasure searching for old jazz recordings on the internet. Dad was preceded in death by his brother, Robert of Spokane; sister, Jeanne of Seattle; and Mom, who passed in March 2015. He is survived by his three children: Chris (Steve Bell) and David of Boise, and Kim (Charles Pearson) of Eugene, Oregon; two grandchildren, Katherine Wurschmidt (Josh) and Lindsey Young of Boise; one great-granddaughter, Wren Wurschmidt; and two nephews, Steve Young (Duana) of Concord, California, and John Young of Tarpon Springs, Florida. A commitment ceremony for both David and Beverly will be held for family and friends at 12:45 p.m. on October 17 at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery at 10100 Old Horseshoe Bend Road, Boise. return to Memorial

David Gordon Young
1926 - 2016
David Gordon Young died at age 89 in Boise on September 8 from complications after a fall. Our dad was born the youngest of three children in 1926 in Kansas City, Missouri, to Laura Vernal Goodman Young and William Oliver Young. He grew up in and attended school in Kansas City until the family followed oldest brother Robert to the Pacific Northwest in 1941 for the job opportunities that WWII created in the Seattle area. Dad finished high school in Seattle and enlisted in the Navy the day after graduation in 1944. He served on the destroyer Floyd B. Parks until 1946. With the help of the GI bill, Dad attended Olympic Junior College and went on to Washington State College, where he received his degree in English with a minor in journalism. He contributed regularly to the school newspaper, edited a noon newscast for the campus radio station, and was the editor of the WSC humor magazine, "Faux Paws." He was elected a member of Sigma Delta Chi, now the Society for Professional Journalists.
While at college, Dad met our mom, Beverly Jo Peers, and they married after his graduation in Beverly's home town of Mount Vernon, Washington. They lived briefly in Seattle before Dad got a job as advertising manager at Pictsweet Frozen Foods in Mount Vernon. They made life-long friendships while in Mount Vernon and it was there that their three children were born, daughters Christopher and Kimberly and son David. Dad returned to Seattle for another advertising position before he changed careers and accepted a job with Weyerhaeuser's Shipping Container Division in 1961 and moved the family to Boise. Dad established a new sales territory in Idaho and had a long, successful career with Weyerhaeuser before he retired in 1988. He became good friends with many of his clients along the way.
Dad and Mom enjoyed the Idaho outdoors and led us on many happy camping, hunting, fishing, and bird watching trips. They also loved to travel and particularly prized exploring the American Southwest and Mexico. They enjoyed trips to the United States, Spain, Peru, Brazil, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, and Scotland. They were among the early travelers to a newly reopened China. Dad and Mom were enthusiastic and excellent dancers. Both were avid readers and Dad in particular was a geography and history buff. In later life, he spent many happy hours on his iPad exploring the world when it became too challenging to explore the world in person.
After Dad's retirement, he and Mom traveled more and Dad volunteered at the Boise Visitors Center.
Dad's passion was music, particularly jazz, and there was always a record on the turntable at our house. His tastes ran from Armstrong to Joplin—Janis, that is. He loved Louis Armstrong best of all and saw the Great Man in person eight times. Later in life, he got great pleasure searching for old jazz recordings on the internet.
Dad was preceded in death by his brother, Robert of Spokane; sister, Jeanne of Seattle; and Mom, who passed in March 2015. He is survived by his three children: Chris (Steve Bell) and David of Boise, and Kim (Charles Pearson) of Eugene, Oregon; two grandchildren, Katherine Wurschmidt (Josh) and Lindsey Young of Boise; one great-granddaughter, Wren Wurschmidt; and two nephews, Steve Young (Duana) of Concord, California, and John Young of Tarpon Springs, Florida. A commitment ceremony for both David and Beverly will be held for family and friends at 12:45 p.m. on October 17 at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery at 10100 Old Horseshoe Bend Road, Boise.

return to Memorial