David Esson Young

Dave was born May 24th, 1938, in Vancouver to Henry Esson and Peggy (Cornish) Young. He had memories reaching as far back as age two, giving us a glimpse of that era. He grew up, though, in Port Alberni, and began his mariner training at age 8 on the first Uchuck, and a lifelong mariner was born. He recalls rowing out into Alberni Inlet alone, or with his best friend Ron, for hours, and not without a certain amount of adventure.

In high school he met Nancy Corker while sitting still as she applied make-up for the actors of Pirates of Penzance. He was a very quiet 17-year-old in her presence but showed his writing prowess to her from university, wooing her that way. This eventually led to two daughters, the second being born at St. Joseph’s in Comox.

He crewed on a Swedish ship complete with Swedish crew members, taking freight from Powell River to California. At UBC, he earned a double major in Economics and Geography, dipped a toe in law school, and quickly retracted. As a bona fide mariner, he had a keen interest in meteorology as well.

Throughout his life he spent many happy hours on his sail boats; the sabot he built in the kitchen, the 23-foot Tyne class that took the whole family to Tree Island, the 24-foot Shark the whole family could sleep on, the 29-foot Abalone he built in the back yard, and lastly the 34-foot Sanctum. He also captained the Robertson II, a schooner out of Halifax, on her journey to Victoria, and the High Seas Drifter with his daughter on the mid-coast.

Dave worked alongside his father as acting captain for the Nootka Sound Service, and in time bought the company with his partner Walter Winkler, a symbiotic partnership borne of mutual respect. Upon the sale of the business in 1994, Dave began tapping into his creative side, taking up photography and writing a book, “The Uchuck Years”. He never stopped writing after that, buoyed by the writer’s groups, particularly the Tale Spinners, until recently when he could no longer type.

Dave was predeceased by his brother, Tony Young. He is survived by his wife Nancy, his children Tracy (Randy) and Shelly (Robert) and his grandchildren Emily and Olivia . He passed away two days before his 88th birthday at home, with his three women by his side.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Dave June 17 at 2:00 pm at the Native Son’s Hall- 360 Cliffe Ave in Courtenay.