Gerald A. Young

Gerald “Jerry” A. Young passed away on April 7, 2022 in Orange Park, FL. He was born in Upper Darby, PA, on March 5, 1942, to the late Marvin Oscar Young and Stella Katherine Reach Young. 

Jerry was raised in suburban Pennsylvania, where he graduated high school and Temple University. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1965 and would spend summers in Pensacola as an Officer Candidate and his winters at college. The Navy encouraged him to stay in college as long as he could afford, so he obtained another degree at the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH. 

His naval career spanned 22 years, with service in Vietnam and around the northern hemisphere. His travels over the earth ranged from Vietnam in the west to Turkey in the east, from the equator in the south to the Artic Circle in the north. He saw pyramids along the Nile and watched the sunrise from the tropic isle. Jerry served at NAS Jacksonville from 1980-1984 and retired from the Navy in 1987 as a Lieutenant Commander, receiving the Air Medal and Defense Meritorious Service Medal during his career. 

In 1989, he was hired to assume the duties as the Bio-Environmental Services Division’s emergency responder. During his employment with the city of Jacksonville, he served in the following positions, Emergency Response supervisor from 1989-1998, responding to emergency callouts by the Fire Department from 1989-2002, member of the Emergency Operations Center for Hurricane Planning and Staffing from 1990-2007, member of the Local Planning Committee for the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council from 1990-2007, member of the Restoration Advisory Board at NAS Jacksonville, where he represented the City of Jacksonville from 1989-2007 and was site manager in the Petroleum Cleanup Activity from 1998-2007. 

Jerry held a chemical engineer’s license, loved to play golf and was a member of Orange Park United Methodist Church, where he served as head usher and usher.  

He was preceded in death by his parents, daughter, Jennifer Ann Young, and grandparents. 

Jerry is survived his wife, Dayle Young; son, Michael Timothy Gross (Nicolle Summerton-Gross); grandchildren, Allison Gross, Ashley Gross and Sadie Wilkins, and many friends. 

A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Aaron and Burney Bivens Funeral Home, 529 Kingsley Avenue, Orange Park, FL 32073, (904) 264-1233. 

Interment, with military honors, will follow the service at 1:30 p.m. at Jacksonville National Cemetery, 4083 Lannie Road, Jacksonville, FL 32218. 

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