Jerry L Young

OTCM Jerry L. Young, United States Navy Retired
Jerry L. Young, age 72, of Fort Pierce Florida, passed away in his home at 9:09 am Sunday June 5, 2016 after battling throat cancer since late 2015. Born in Norfolk, Virginia on December 6, 1943, he was the son of the late Lealand Allan and Lucille Harriett (Holland) Young.
After school and at the young age of 17, Jerry joined the United States Navy where he would serve our country for nearly 27 years. Initially, Jerry’s military career consisted primarily of various types of electronics and oceanographic research coupled with the repairs of that equipment. As Jerry progressed through his career he discovered a passion for helping others and was a successful substance abuse counselor. His enjoyment of helping others led to a side career as a disc jockey and he “DJ’ed” for many Navy functions and parties.

Jerry’s Navy service took him around the world to multiple cities in multiple countries including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Okinawa, Guam, Cuba, Jamaica, Panama, Ecuador, Italy, Sicily, Trinidad, Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Barbados and the Bahamas. In 1987 Jerry retired from the Navy after attaining the rank of Master Chief, the highest rank for an enlisted sailor. Jerry’s military awards include the Navy Achievement Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal (5 awards), National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Navy Unit Commendation (2 awards), Meritorious Unit Commendation (2 awards), Battle “E” (2 awards), Seas Service Deployment (4 awards) and Expert Pistol Shot.

After his military career, Jerry had various occupations including boating and marine jobs; a very successful career with the Indian River County Health Department; Atlantis Environmental Associates, a small business Jerry owned and operated; and finally a position with Piper Aircraft in Vero Beach where he worked for more than 15 years before retiring.
Jerry lived all over the world including Virginia, Japan, Florida, California, Germany, Barbados, Eleuthera, Delaware, Guam and finally settled in Fort Pierce, Florida in 1983.
Education was extremely important to Jerry and aside from several years of various types specialized military training, Jerry graduated from Barry University in 1989 with a Bachelors in Professional Studies.

Jerry was an avid scuba diver for more than 30 years and was certified by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) as an Open Water Scuba Diving Instructor in 1981 and then in 1989 as a Master Scuba Diver Trainer. Jerry also loved to fly and obtained his private pilot’s license in 1994.

Boating was Jerry’s passion and began while he was stationed in Key West, Florida 50 years ago. Jerry always had a boat of some sort and he truly loved being on the water. It did not matter if it was scuba diving, water skiing, fishing, trips to the Keys or Bahamas or simply tinkering around on “Sounder”, boats were Jerry’s man-cave. This became even more evident in 2007 when he was certified as a U.S. Merchant Marine Officer by the U.S. Coast Guard for motor vessels up to 100 tons.

Jerry was an extremely proud father and loving husband, loved and cherished by all his friends. Jerry is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Sandra; daughter, Karen wife of Kent Malcolm, Fort Pierce; son, David married to April Johns, Stuart; granddaughters Kristine, Nicole and Madison and grandson Mason; and his great-granddaughter Ashley.

Services will include a “Celebration of Life” to be conducted on his boat, “Sounder” at the Fort Pierce City Marina on Friday, June 24, 2016 at 5:00 pm. The celebration will be open to his family, friends and his boating family. Following the celebration, the family will take Jerry out for his last adventure on board the “Sounder” where his ashes will be scattered across the Atlantic Ocean for his final resting place.