John “Jack” Stewart Young (March 24, 1944 – May 14, 2015)
John “Jack” Young—husband, father, grandfather, and dear friend of many—passed away on Thursday, May 14, 2015 at his home in Kaleva, MI. He was 71.
Never one to shy away from a fight, regardless of the outcome, he took on the odds on favorite and undefeated cancer in the same manner.
Jack was born in Alma, MI on March 24, 1944, to John and Beulah (Garrison) Young. He graduated from Alma High School in 1962 and soon after married his high school sweetheart Gretchen on November 30, 1963.
He retired from Central Asphalt in 2007 after 42 years in road construction. While they were working, Jack and Gretchen spent weekends at their cabin on the river enjoying the quiet life of Northern Michigan until building their dream home and moving to Kaleva after retirement.
Jack will be remembered for his wit and his generosity, as well as his habit of making great friends wherever he went. Beneath a gruff exterior was a man who believed in pulling his own weight and self-sacrificing in helping those he felt were less fortunate. He believed in doing your best simply because you can with no expectation of recognition or reward. He believed if friends were a dollar it was better to have four quarters than a hundred pennies. But mostly he believed in his “people” and enjoyed nothing more than spending time with them.
He is survived by wife of 52 years Gretchen, children Jay (Mary) Young and Amanda (Brian) Dodds, grandchildren Jessica Young, Leslie (Alex) Betzer, Rachel Young and McKell Dodds, sister Phyllis Bigelow, brother-in-law Robin (Ann) Miller and several nieces and nephews . He was preceded in death by his parents John and Beulah, sister and brother-in-law Joyce and Richard Hargrove, and brother-in-law Kenneth Bigelow.
As per Jack’s wishes no formal services will be held. However, all are welcome to join us on June 27th from 2:00 till 4:00 PM at Jack and Gretchen’s house to laugh and cry as we mourn the loss of “one of the good ones” and to celebrate the times we had with him.
While Jack would have appreciated the thoughtfulness of flowers, he would have been bothered that anyone would spend any hard earned gains on him. If it is your wish to make a donation in his honor he would have preferred it was made to those that are truly unfortunate. He always had a real soft spot for children, particularly those battling insurmountable odds of having a full and rewarding life. A couple of organizations that Jack would be in favor of are St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Big Bear Sportsmen Club’s Endowment Fund Youth Program.
Feel free to share a memory or photo with Jack’s family at www.oakgrovefh.com. The family has entrusted funeral arrangements with Oak Grove Funeral Home & Cremation Center of Manistee.
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