William Young

Born in Holyoke, Bill was the son of the late James D. and Mary (Minnie) F. Young. He was the beloved husband of the late Dianne K. Young for over 59 years.

Bill’s father was the long-time golf professional at The Orchards Golf Course in South Hadley. Bill grew up in a home on the course where his father taught him the game. Bill attended Mount Hermon School and in 1959 earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he was class treasurer and a member of Phi Sigma Kappa. He competed on the UMass golf and basketball teams, and won the New England Collegiate Golf Championship in 1957. That year he competed as an amateur in the PGA Tour event The Insurance City Open in Hartford.

Bill served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Army in 1959 and 1960, completing Army Armor School at Fort Knox.

Dianne and Bill met on Cape Cod, and they married in South Hadley in 1962. One New Year's Eve, armed with flashlights, they found a beach cottage for sale in West Dennis, where they enjoyed every summer together for over 50 years.

Bill worked in the packaging industry throughout the 1960s, becoming vice president of sales in 1970 at Old Colony Container in Ashland. In 1980 he launched Old Colony Foam Pack, a manufacturing company in Framingham, eventually expanding to facilities in Providence and New Bedford. He developed innovative packaging technologies, including for environmental disposal of package materials and for microbial bioremediation of hydrocarbons. Bill held four U.S. patents and worked into his eighties.

The Youngs raised their family in Scituate where Bill coached little league and pursued his passion for golf as a Hatherly Country Club member. He and his family traveled to Scotland and Bill played The Old Course at St. Andrews, where his father had learned to play golf before emigrating to the U.S.

Bill is survived by his son Jason D. Young, of Scituate, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife Dianne, his daughter Jessica Young, his brother James D. Young, Jr., and his sister Marjorie Young Chaffee. His burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The ALS Foundation or The Dennis Conservation Land Trust.