James Alfred Young

7/24/25 – 9/26/16

James Alfred Young, age 91, passed peacefully at home on Monday, September 26th. He was born in Seattle to Dorothy Wigmore Young and Daniel James Young. A gifted clarinet and sax player, Jim was to join the Army Band during WWII, but at 18 was sent to Texas and then Europe to serve with the 36th Texas Division. He was shot through the leg by a sniper and hit by grenade shrapnel. He lost two friends in battle. He guarded 6 boxcars of bodies from Dachau. Jim was disillusioned by the waste and stupidity of war. He wrote a book for his family entitled “Mein Angst – A narration of the World War II experiences of a miscast actor in a terrible show.”

At UW he met his lifelong love, Lillian Anna Hill Young, a fellow music major. They married in 1948 and both taught music, Jim in Renton and Lillian in Seattle. They had two children, Taimi Young Dunn Gorman (Bill) and Joel James Young (Kandee). Jim was a Boy Scout leader and an environmentalist before they invented it. They enjoyed skiing and their cabin near Crystal Mtn. Jim was elected president of the Greenwater Improvement Club, bringing a water system to the residences and shepherding a lawsuit against Weyerhaeuser for strip logging that precipitated a destructive flood to the area.

In the 1970’s, Jim was PR Director of the Renton School District, utilizing his gifts for writing and photography, and was elected president of the National School Public Relations Association. Following retirement, he and Lillian traveled extensively, to Hawaii, Asia, Finland, Russia and Egypt. They skied the Alps. He was a longtime member of the Renton Community Band. The couple moved to Bellingham 11 years ago to be near their children and grandchildren, Sean Gorman, Mari and Evan Young. Jim played with the North Sound Community Orchestra. The impact of his passions, hard work, wit and intellectual acuity will long be remembered.

A family remembrance will be held in Bellingham. Please share your memories at legacy.com.