WEEMS—William “Bill” Marshall Young, 81, of Weems passed away peacefully on Friday, December 15, 2017, at the Medical College of Virginia Hospital.
Born in Mechanicsville to Lelia Mae Green Young and Linwood Earl Young on August 22, 1936, Bill was the consummate Renaissance man—musician, composer, writer, craftsman and mechanic.
Bill attended the Washington-Henry School in Hanover County before graduating from Fork Union Military Academy. He attended the Richmond Polytechnic Institute (RPI) of the College of William and Mary and Stetson University in DeLand, Fla., studying music.
He entered the U. S. Army and, after being honorably discharged, Bill and his wife moved to Fort Myers, Fla., where they lived for 25 years before retiring to the Northern Neck.
While in Florida, Bill owned and operated Southside Vacuum Center—where he sold and fixed vacuum cleaners—and Bill’s Gun Shop—where he sold shooting supplies and custom-made black powder firearms. After moving to the Northern Neck, Bill worked for Northern Neck Office Supply, fixing typewriters—a dying art.
Bill became a senior soldier in The Salvation Army in 1975 and attended services regularly until he was no longer able to travel to the corps in Hampton. In more recent years, Bill attended the White Stone Church of the Nazarene and Kilmarnock United Methodist Church.
Bill was an avid shooter, participating in shooting competitions throughout Florida and Virginia. He was also a passionate musician, playing with various musical organizations, including the Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers Circus band, the Fort Myers Symphony Orchestra, the Florida Divisional Band of The Salvation Army, the York River Symphony Orchestra and the Northern Neck Brass Ensemble. He travelled the world with those bands, including trips to Jamaica, Haiti, Germany, Wales and China.
Bill served as bandmaster for the Hampton Corps of The Salvation Army for many years and was the founder and first director of the Northern Neck Symphony Orchestra.
Bill is survived by his son, David (Kerry) Young of Weems; his daughter, Laura (Patrick) Bridge of Palmyra; and his grandchildren, William, Connor, Hayden and Annika Bridge.
He was preceded in death by his parents and by his wife of 51 years, Janice (Ringquist) Young.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today, Thursday, December 21, at The White Stone Church of the Nazarene. Family will receive friends two hours prior to the service at the church. Interment will be at 1 p.m. Friday, December 22, at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond.
Memorial donations may be made to The Salvation Army, P. O. Box 269, Alexandria, VA 22313.
Currie Funeral Home LLC of Kilmarnock handled the arrangements.
