David Ralph Young, age 100 of Centerville, OH passed away April 27, 2025, at the Dayton VA. He was born on March 4, 1925, in Stanford, KY to the late Monty Young and Bettie Young. He is survived by his second wife Janice Louise Young; children, Marsha Ellen Meier (Gary) of St. Louis, MO and David Ralph Young II (Penny) of Stanford, KY; grandchildren Haley Lauren Meier of St. Louis, MO, Dane Christopher Meier of St Louis, MO, Greg Joseph Meier of Costa Mesa, Morgan Meier of NYC, NY, Chadwell Cason Young (Helen) of Danville, KY, Clay Thompson Young (Candance) of Danville, KY; great grandchildren, Dylan Meier, Myla Meier, and Kendall Young. He was preceded in death by his first wife Charlotte Chadwell Young, granddaughter Katie Elizabeth Thompson, and son Dane Chadwell Young (Peggy), ten siblings, and numerous other relatives.
Ralph was a WWII veteran serving in 4 D-day invasions in the Pacific, a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Engineering in 1953, and served as a power engineer in various states, and in Thailand, Kaula Lumpur, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Oman. He formed his own consulting Company D. Ralph Young and Associates in 1985. He was the author of three books and gave over fifty presentations about his experiences in WWII. In his retirement he began an apple orchard in Kentucky, built homes for Habitat for Humanity, traveled to over forty countries plus many states within the United States and participated in the University of Kentucky’s Honor Flight to Washington DC in 2017.
He received numerous awards and recognitions and was the Grand Marshall of the Vandalia Air Show Parade in 2024. He was a man of faith and has left an enduring impression on all who knew him.
Donations may be made to the Southminster Presbyterian Church Youth Program, American Legion Post 598, or University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering.
A Memorial Service for David will be held Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Southminster Presbyterian Church, 7001 Far Hills Ave., Dayton, OH 45459. Arr. by Tobias Funeral Home Far Hills Chapel.
