Gordon Young

Gordon Young Oliver Gordon Young of San Luis Obispo passed peacefully at Bella Vista on August 8th, 2016, just before his 89th birthday, where he had resided the last few months. His daughter Debbie and a loving and admiring staff were near his side. Born in Banna, China, Yunnan Province, in 1927, where his parents were American Baptist missionaries, Gordon lived more than 40 years in tiny jungle villages and great cities of Thailand, Laos, Burma, Vietnam and India. Fluent in multiple Asian languages and dialects, he also learned the "language" of the jungle, by age 10 easily surviving alone in remote rainforests armed only with a knife and bow. As a young man, he was given the Lahu hill tribe's highest honor, "Supreme Hunter," by a tribal chief for his immense and diverse tracking and hunting skills. Lahu was Gordon's mother tongue and preferred language, learned from infancy. He later developed a passion for wildlife conservation and environmental protection, helping his father, Harold Mason Young, to found the Chiang Mai Zoo in Northern Thailand. Gordon wrote many fascinating books from his experiences, including his autobiography, Journey from Banna, as well as Run for the Mountains, and The Wind will Yet Sing. His earlier books made him popular the hunting stories told in Tracks of an Intruder, and his expertise on hill tribes in Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand. Gordon was the first to study and document information on the tribal people of Northern Thailand. After completing military service after World War II, Gordon returned to marry the love of his life, Peggy Karoleski in 1950, and attended Cal Poly, obtaining his degree in Agriculture/ Animal Husbandry. The Young family then embarked on 25 years of foreign service in Southeast Asia, where Gordon was first with the CIA, then the Office of Public Safety and the U.S. AID Mission in Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. Three of their four daughters were born in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He lived in San Luis Obispo since 1974, after leaving Laos, and he worked at PG&E before retiring in 1989. Gordon was an active birder for over 80 years and was a wonderful father and grandfather to his family, a storyteller to beat all storytellers. His passion, his zest and interest in gems, seashells, insects, reptiles, and the animal and plant kingdoms was enormous and unsurpassed. Gordon is preceded in death by his wife Peggy, his brother Bill Young, and precious granddaughter Rachel Howell. He is survived by his sister Helen Suter, his four daughters: Lenore Young of Santa Maria, Julie Howell (Jon Howell) of Gustavus, Alaska, Debora Chase (Jeff Chase) of Saratoga, Carolyn Young (Ron McMath) of Gualala, and grandchildren: Stephen and Caroline Chase, Matt and Jesse Howell, and his great-grandson, Gordon Chase. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 13th at 4:00pm followed by a reception, at the First Presbyterian Church, 981 Marsh Street. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the First Presbyterian Church in memory of Gordon and Peggy Young, P.O. Box 591, San Luis Obispo, Calif., 93406, or your favorite charity. Sign his guestbook at sanluisobispo.com/obituaries