Harold Bly "Doc" YOUNKER

YOUNKER, Harold Bly ("Doc") August 4, 1921 – February 13, 2016 . It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Harold Bly "Doc" Younker on February 13th, 2016 at the age of 94. He is survived by his wife, Mary, of 73 years who was the love of his life, along with his three daughters, Bev Bailey (Frank), Pat Greiner (Steve) and Vicki Thomas (Jim), his six grandchildren, Cara, Brett, Michele, Michael, Jeff and Melanie and his nine great grandchildren. Harold was born in Auburn, Washington where he met Mary, when they were babies and upon returning as an Army medic, they wed in 1942. Over the next 10 years he was a grocer in Pasco and Vancouver, WA and then trained as a baseball umpire. However, a broken back sustained during the Army didn't allow him to continue as an umpire. The natural transition was to continue in baseball as a trainer that ultimately landed him a job in BC with the Vancouver Capilanos in 1954, which then became the Vancouver Mounties. He was their trainer for rest of the 1950s. He became the relief trainer with the expansion LA Angels in 1961 and later served as a spring training trainer with the San Diego Padres 1976 to 1984 when the Padres won the National League Championship. In the years of not being in baseball, he returned to BC to develop a mobile home park in partnership with Nat Bailey. During this time, baseball started calling to him again and he got involved with Baseball BC and then Baseball Canada 1975 to 1995 as the National Team trainer. He was honored to be with Team Canada at the 1988 Seoul Olympics where baseball was a demonstration sport. Other organizations he was also a trainer were for Kofa (Arizona) High School; National Baseball Institute in Vancouver, BC; UBC Baseball Team and the Big League Experience Baseball School in Oliver, BC. The highlight of his baseball career was when he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. A special thank you to all the staff at Inglewood Care Centre who went out of their way to keep my parents together and to Golnoosh Babaee, RN, who helped us get through a very difficult time. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 23 at 1:00 – 4:00 at Hollyburn Country Club, 950 Cross Creek Road, West Vancouver, BC, V7S 2S5. In lieu of flowers, donate to a charity of your choice.