Jack Thonie Young

Jack was born on November 24th 1916 in Niagara Falls, NY to George Franklin Young and Harriet Elizabeth Thonie Young. He attended the Kitchener Public School and the Niagara Falls Collegiate Vocational Institute. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Anne (Skiba) Young also of Monroe and his two sons and their families: Jan Andrew Young his wife Shelley, their daughter Victoria and son Andrew of Yardley, PA, Joel O. Young, his wife Vivian and their daughter Alexandra of Farmington, CT, and sister-in-law Carol Young of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. He was predeceased by his brother, F. Lorne Young, of Sarnia.

After his mother passed away when Jack was only 13 years old he moved to Ridgeway, PA to live with his Aunt Minnie Williams. He later moved to Pittsburgh, PA where he survived the great depression by unloading cement from river barges. He enlisted in the Army 6 months before the Pearl Harbor attack that brought the USA into World War II. He was a member of General Patton’s Third Army 90th division Medical Detachment where he was a front line medic with the Army Engineers. He landed in Normandy on the D-Day invasion and fought his way through France to a point 18 miles from the German border where he was hit by a tank shell injuring his right arm and left leg on November 11th. He received 2 Purple Hearts for his injuries. He also was awarded a Bronze Star for saving a wounded soldier who was trapped on a reconnaissance boat, doing so under heavy enemy fire.

He was introduced to his wife by her cousin Tony Skiba who was an army buddy. Jack and Anne were pen pals during the war and after Jack returned home to Pittsburgh he travelled to Bridgeport to meet Anne. They were married at St. Michaels Church in Bridgeport, CT on August 2nd 1952 with Tony as Jack’s best man.

Jack retired from Jenkins Valve Co., Bridgeport, CT in 1977 after working for 25 years as a metallurgist in the testing lab. He and his family moved to Monroe, CT in 1962 where he and Anne have made a home for their family to the present day. Jack had many friends in Monroe and loved going to the tag sales where he would bargain with the sellers to get the best deal. His hobbies included gardening and collecting tools. His garden produced many vegetables that he shared with his neighbors and friends, especially horseradish which he grated and gave away at Easter time. His tool collection includes a full blacksmith forge and anvil where he made various items from iron.

He and Anne are long time parishioners at St. Stephen’s Church in Trumbull, CT.

Although Jack has outlived most of his old friends and relatives, he will be remembered fondly by the many, many people who knew him in and around Monroe simply as “Jack”.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, June, 3, 2016 at 10am St. Stephen’s Church, 6948 Main Street, Trumbull. Interment will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Newtown. Visitation will be Thursday, June 2, 2016 from 4pm-8pm at the Spadaccino and Leo P Gallagher & Son Community Funeral Home, 315 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe. Online condolences may be made at www.spadaccinofuneralhome.com