OCEAN RIDGE — Don Young died Nov. 23 while in hospice care at his home in Ocean Ridge, with his family by his side. He was 89.
Mr. Young was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 12, 1936, to his loving parents, Donald John Young and Elizabeth Cowan Young. He was the elder brother and lifelong supporter and guardian of Tim. Tim’s struggle with serious health issues, which began with his birth, made Mr. Young empathetic to the difficulties and hardships of people from all walks of life.
Donald Soutar Young matriculated at the University of Michigan. This set the ground for a lifetime in Michigan, as well as a lifetime of devotion to all things “Blue.” The phrase “Ohio State” was not considered polite conversation in his company.
At Michigan, Mr. Young undertook intellectual pursuits and by senior year he was president of the Michigan Union, a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society and a Navy ROTC midshipman.
While at Michigan, Mr. Young met Laila Sadi. It was love at first sight and led to their marriage after college.
Following graduation with highest academic honors, Mr. Young was accepted at Harvard Law School but first entered the Navy. His service led to sea duty on a destroyer home-ported at Newport, Rhode Island.
The couple’s quarters in Newport were well known among Mr. Young’s fellow officers as a place for an enjoyable story and cocktails; it is thought that the coordinates of their place were logged on the charts hung in the wardrooms of visiting Navy vessels.
Following law school, Mr. Young accepted a position in the Detroit-based firm Dykema Gossett, where he rose to run the firm’s litigation practice. He mentored scores of young lawyers who went on to constructive careers, including prominent jurists.
Mr. Young particularly promoted the career aspirations of young women attorneys, as he understood the significant roadblocks women faced seeking to build a substantive career.
Don and Laila first came to the Ocean Ridge area in the early 1970s, attracted by its low-key charm and stunning beauty.
He took important roles at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the ALAS legal/insurance group, the National Service Organization and as a founding trustee of the Florida Coalition for Preservation in Boynton Beach, where he helped lead the fight against untrammeled development of South Florida’s beautiful coastline.
Later in life, Mr. Young suffered from atopic dermatitis, a serious form of eczema. He joined the National Eczema Association and became chairman of its board. Today, we have effective treatments and far greater understanding of the disease, thanks to efforts he coordinated.
Mr. Young leaves behind his beloved wife, Laila; his children, Sarah and her husband; Jamie; and Donald and his wife, Jane; and his adoring grandchildren, Harry O’Donnell, Jack O’Donnell, Wheeler Young, Charlie Young and Honor O’Donnell.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers “and if anyone would wish to do so in Mr. Young’s memory,”contributions may be made to the National Eczema Association (www.nationaleczema.org).
— Submitted by the family
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