James Robert "Bob" Young

1921 - 2017

Faith is a gift. So is curiosity.

James R. "Bob" Young (b. March 16, 1921, St. Louis, Missouri) made his life around his curiosity and gentle sense of humor. He was the only child of Marguerite Sturgess Young (homemaker) and Lyman William Young (cartoonist).

In his youth, he attended many schools and lived in many states, as his parents moved. He had resided in Sequim since 1976.

Bob graduated from Greenwich High School and then Culver Military Academy. He enrolled at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., getting a Bachelor of Arts in economics. There, he took an interest in the congressional lend-lease debates.

Throughout his life, Bob took an interest in history and political affairs. As part of his Army service, he worked on cracking Japanese codes, said to be the next most decisive point in the Pacific campaign after the atomic bomb.

Shortly after World War II, Bob started working with his father's cartoon strip, "Tim Tyler's Luck," for King Features Syndicate. Bob ended up drawing the strip for 50 years, endeavoring to produce in his readership a love of adventure and curiosity.

His two main characters explored the world in adventures revolving around endangered plant and animal species, plastic pollution, alternative energy - subjects as relevant today as they were decades ago. In total, the strip ran for 68 years.

The most important event in Bob's life was meeting Ethel Michaeleen "Mike" Spilly at Colorado College. They enjoyed the outdoor life of Colorado and were married on August 27, 1955. Three sons were born in Colorado, Lyman A. (Marion So), Bruce (Sharon Young) and Matt (Dorcas Supang).

Bob and Mike now have seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

The family later moved to California to be closer to and care for his parents. As their sons grew, he led a photography group in their 4-H club, converted the backyard to a sheep pen and accompanied Boy Scouts on hikes and river trips.

Every year, summer road trips were planned throughout the West to visit zoos and national parks. After 11 years of summer visits to Sequim and Dungeness, the family relocated here in 1976.

Bob had a well-documented fondness for a sandwich any time of the day, a five-minute nap, or a bowl of popcorn while watching a golf tournament or Gonzaga basketball game. His interests in art, gardening, golf, fishing and sailing were all later adopted by his sons.

He was an avid photographer, always documenting family trips and events, and became the unofficial photographer of Mike's many Retired Teachers Association meetings. He enjoyed creating new things including many board and word games played by the family, kit electronics, fishing gear and even a two-person kayak that enabled many adventures. Later, he readily moved from film and paper to the new digital world.

Bob's personal voyage ended on March 21, 2017, of natural causes.

His family thanks the many caregivers who have helped us including Home Health Care, the Korean Women's Association, volunteer hospice care, physical therapists and Dr. C. Sullivan.

Funeral services will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 121 East Maple Street, on Friday, May 5, 2017, at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow.

Memorial contributions can be made to Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County, 540 East Eighth Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362 (360-452-1511).