Steven Eugene Young, 55, of Hereford and formerly of Blackfoot, Idaho, died May 2, 2005, at Holy Rosary Medical Center in Ontario after a long illness.
His graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Gilliland Cemetery in Sweet Home. Vault interment will be at Gilliland Cemetery.
Steve was born on Aug. 5, 1949, at Longview, Wash., to Oscar Gene Young and Betty Alaine Wood. As a family they traveled extensively, wherever the logging jobs took them. The family finally settled at Sweet Home, where Steve attended high school. Steve became quite an athlete and loved sports, especially football.
In 1968, Steve married Millie Cox. They had three children: Tanella “Tani” of Salem; Bobi-Jo of Pinedale, Wyo.; and Steve “Buddy” of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Although Steve and Millie were divorced in 1981, she remained his one and only true love.
Steve lived most of his life in Alaska working as a welder/fabricator. He enjoyed working on big-block Chevy engines and, following in his father’s footsteps, became quite a mechanic, rebuilding several pick-up trucks.
His great love was the Alaskan bush wilderness where he hunted elk, caribou and moose. In the early 1990s, he bagged a record bull moose, which he had head mounted and loved to show off. He enjoyed sharing stories of his many hunting trips, filming many videos of those experiences.
Steve returned to Oregon in 1999 to be with his children and grandchildren, Crystal, Kalie, Jamie, Tiffanie, Brian and Mariah. He was a strong man with integrity and kindness who was loved by his family and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Survivors include his mother; his children; five grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; his sisters, Patsy Wilkinson, and her husband, Howard, of Albany, Chris Beeller and her husband, Basil, of Pine Hollow, and Teri Nelson and her husband, Larry Garrels, of Hereford; his very good friends, Jim Sweeney, Cord Parson and Dennis Hilscher; and many good friends in Alaska.
He was preceded in death by his father in 1996.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, May 13, 2005
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor