Jere Gordon Young

Jere Gordon Young, a longtime resident of Ventura County passed away of cancer in his Santa Susana home July 19, 2014.

Jere was born in Harrisburg, PA, May 5, 1934. He was drafted into the U.S. Army kicking and screaming, but not to sound too clich, serving in the military was one of his most worthwhile life experiences (barring the food). From his earliest days Jere was a picky eater. After being drafted by the Army, his weight loss accelerated because the mess halls rarely served food Jere liked. You might wonder how he has sustained himself all these 80 years. It's simple, Burgers, Oreos, Cheez-It and Spam (must be an Army thing), but to his dying day, he took pride in the fact that he never once ate a taco. When he first came to California he was a dance instructor at Arthur Murrays where he met his one and only wife. On February 10, 1962, he married La Verne Ann Daugherty (Annie). Back when the Ventura County Star was called the Star Free Press, they employed Jere in their sales department, and later he became a freelance writer for the Star. He was the Marketing Director for Centerpoint Mall in Oxnard and a Service Writer at Woodland Hills Honda. Jere's likes: bluegrass music, playing drums with the Ventura County Concert Band, driving his '73 Mustang and riding his Goldwing motorcycle with sidecar.

Jere's dislikes: vegetables and yard word.

His life lessons: Never play cards with someone named Lucky. Bet on the gray horse. Always be on time. Never let your tank get below quarter full. The truth will set you free. I am certainly not a victim; I am where I have chosen to be. Treat elders with respect. Loving your children is an all-consuming emotion and wonderful to experience. Remember, whining is completely non-productivebut revenge and vilification have some wonderful benefits, however fleeting. Yes, bad things CAN happen to good people.

I have rarely regretted keeping quiet. If you have an ace, play it. A life of LOVE and SERVICE trumps all.

A gun in the hand beats an operator on the phone. Carrying a grudge is vastly overrated. It isn't my place, any more, to point out anyone's shortcomings. I can't change anyone. Acceptance. Be of service to others for fun and for free. Take responsibility for your actions. Have a pet so you don't have to think about yourself ALL the time. To love someone means to wish them no harm. Put a smile on your face.

In the end, he died as he lived; smiling and making sure everyone else was taken care of. Jere is survived by his wife Ann Young; daughter Angie Young; step-daughter Shelley (Tony) Silva, step-daughter Brenda (Mike) Swenson; grandchildren Brooke and Conor Silva, Tom Davison, Dan (Heidi) Davison, and great-grandchildren Joshua and Nevaeh Davison; and a sundry of Walsh cousins in the east.

A memorial will be held at Rose Family Funeral Home, 4444 Cochran St., Simi Valley, CA on Saturday, August 9th, 2014 at 1:00. The family will continue with a Celebration of Life immediately after at the Rose Family Funeral Home.