Gary Young

Gary graduated from Mansfield Senior High School, volunteered to serve in Vietnam and was a member of UDT -13 (Underwater Demolitions Team) as a diver. He remained active in the Navy Reserve until 1985. Gary worked for Kroger on Ashland Road in the bakery for 15 years, and previously worked for the Mansfield Fire Department as a dispatcher, and was known as the "Golden Voice of Mansfield 500". He was a supporter of numerous veterans, wildlife and conservation associations, and won many awards at Kingwood Center garden shows. Gary had a generous heart and was always lending an ear to concerns of his coworkers, friends and family. He was a great storyteller and always had a joke to make people smile. Gary's greatest loves were God, his wife, his friends, his family, animals, gardening, and his country.

Surviving is his wife of 31 years, Carol Soulen Young.

A gathering will be held Wednesday, September 30, 2015, from 1-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the Ontario Home of Wappner Funeral Directors, 100 S. Lexington Springmill Road, Ontario. A memorial service will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home. Those attending will be offered the opportunity to share their memories of Gary. Military graveside services conducted by the Richland County Joint Veterans Burial Detail will follow in Mansfield Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made in Gary's memory to Wounded Warrior Project, Vietnam Veterans of America, World Wildlife Fund, or the Humane Society of Richland County.