Obituaries

David James (Jay) Young, 75, of Florence, KY, passed away peacefully after complications from cancer on October 19, 2023.

His family always called him Dave. But there were so many Davids and Jameses on his freshman dorm floor—they were the fifth and first most common boy names in his birth year— that he decided to go with Jay, and the nickname stuck for the rest of his life.

He was born in Madison, WI in 1948 and grew up on the shores of Lake Monona and in the Orchard Ridge neighborhood. He sang with the choir at Bethel Lutheran Church, where his family were longtime members. In 1966 he graduated from Madison West High where he played basketball and baseball, as well as trombone in the marching band. From there, he attended Luther College in Decorah, IA, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration in 1970.

After college he joined the Marine Corps, following in the military footsteps of his father and late uncle who were World War II veterans. His time in the service took him in the air, on land, and sea around the United States and the world. His duty stations included stops in Florida; California; North Carolina; Washington, DC; Okinawa, Japan; and Virginia. After 20 years of service he retired in 1992 as a Lieutenant Colonel in Norfolk, VA.

Inspired by his sixth-grade teacher, Norman Clayton, Jay became an elementary school teacher soon after his military retirement. He taught arts and humanities and fifth grade at New Haven Elementary in Union, KY for 19 years. During that time he completed a Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education at Georgetown College in Georgetown, KY. He took great pride in helping students find their spark, whether it was poetry, math, science, classical music, or even food. One year he delighted students by introducing them to the Jamaican tangelo, also known as ugli fruit; another year it was the Carambola, or star fruit. In 2015, he retired for a second time.

Jay was a lifelong learner and avid reader. In fifth grade, he completed a 100-book reading challenge. Around that same time, he also started writing his own jokes. His good humor, infectious laughter, expressive baritone voice, and love of reading and storytelling were a gift to many over the years.

The story of Jay's life couldn't be told without mentioning his great love for spending time with friends and family in a particular stretch of wilderness and freshwater northeast of Kenora in Ontario, Canada. Between 1965-2019 he traveled more than fifty times to the English River with family and lifelong friends from Madison, Luther College, and beyond. On each trip he jotted down notes which became “the minutes” he would read the following year. The minutes contained the usual facts—how many fish were caught, who caught the lunkers—but mixed in were humorous embellishments and remembrances of loved ones who had passed on. Afterward he would read a story by one of his favorite authors that reflected on nature, friendship, and family. One year the essay was “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White about the passage of time, the bond between parents and children, and the value of tradition and connection to land and place. In nature, and especially with friends and family, Jay felt a deep connection to something spiritual and larger than life itself.

Jay is preceded in death by his beloved parents, V. Paul Young and Gertrude (Trudy) Young (née Breckman). He is survived by his two loving children, Dr. Lindsey Young Mortenson (Ann Arbor, MI) and Reed Daniel Young (Union, KY), son-in law Julian Davis Mortenson, three cherished grandchildren, former wife Shirley Franks (née Shelton), and three beloved brothers and a sister-in-law—Steve and Myrna Kay Young (Madison, WI), Dan Young (Madison, WI), and Tom Young (Tulsa, OK).

In honor of Jay’s commitment to education, and to a favorite local pastime of taking long walks in Central Park & Arboretum in nearby Union, KY, his family welcomes donations in his memory to the Boone County Education Foundation and to Friends of Boone County Arboretum in support of the people and place he called home for the past 27 years.

A memorial celebration of Jay’s life will be held in Madison, WI at a later and warmer date so that his ashes can be scattered in beautiful Lake Monona—where his life began, where the ashes of his parents are scattered, and where he’ll return “once more to the lake,” one final time.