Chester Carlton Young Sr.

1925-2019 Chester Carlton Young, Sr., 94, died on October 20, 2019 in Austin.  Chester was born July 9, 1925 in Meeker, LA, second of seven children to Sherman and Gladys Young. Work in the refineries brought the family to Port Acres, where Chester graduated Stephen F. Austin High before joining the Navy during WWII.   To his everlasting good fortune, he was stationed in Oakland, CA, where he met Marylin Joyce  Beddoe, daughter of a Bay Area typesetter. They married in May 1946 and his bride soon came with him to Texas in a carload of men, driving nonstop in the heat of summer. Nevertheless, she remained married to him for the next 73 years, with Chester often referring to her as his "first" wife. On the GI Bill, Chester attended college and law school at Baylor on a fast track. After he passed the bar in 1950, they returned to Port Acres and he hung out his shingle as a practicing attorney at age 24. In 1955 Chester became an Assistant DA and entered the world of Jefferson County politics. In 1962 he was elected County Judge, a position he held for 12 years, until returning to private practice at his Nederland home office, where Marylin had a studio for her painting, fabric arts, and writing. Modest about his own success, he always touted her talents. In retirement, they moved to Albuquerque to be near their only grandson, John, and in 2004 came back to Texas to be near family in Austin. Even as his eyesight and health failed, Chester's wit and intelligence never dimmed, nor his loving concern for Marylin and pride in his family. Chester was preceded in death this year by his daughter Nancy Joyce Young of Boston, MA; brothers Pierce, Sherman, and Cary Young; and sister Ruth Justice. He is survived by his wife Marylin; son Carlton Young of Phnom Penh, Cambodia; son Damon and wife Joyce of Austin, who have been their caretakers the last many years; daughter-in-law Allison Bayer of Boston; grandson John Carlton Young and wife Kristin of Boston; brothers John and Joseph Young; and several nieces and nephews.