Obituary of William Young

Bill Young passed away quietly in his sleep early Sunday morning after a valiant struggle with a variety of illnesses, strong, and fighting until the very end. Larger than life in so many ways, many of us never thought we'd live to see the day when Bill was no longer amongst us. The empty space he left behind will be a hard one to fill.

A good and kind man, Bill has meant much to many throughout his eighty-three years on this earth. Indeed, his generosity of spirit lingers still with his family and good friends, all of whose lives he has touched in bountiful ways throughout the years.

Full of sound advice and good humor, kindness and love, Bill will be dearly missed by all, particularly his cherished wife, Debbie, the love of his life and constant companion. With Bill she created a life in the islands and later, here in Florida, happy in the home they built together where Bill enjoyed his last years.

He leaves behind his children, Mark, Todd and Dawn, their mother, Carole, and six grandchildren, each of whom has known Bill as a Dad and Grandfather who could always be counted on through the best and worst of times, and who always offered encouragement, no matter the endeavor they chose.

Bill had many loyal friends and employees, both here and in The Turks and Caicos Islands, who worked alongside him as he created diverse business empires over time. It was Bill's generosity and selflessness that saw to it many other families, whose lives he touched along the way, got to live their dreams.

Bill was a man who was not afraid to make dreams come true. He grew up in South Florida, raised and inspired by his Mother and deaf-mute Grandfather, of whom he spoke regularly with deep affection, attributing his own work ethic, honesty and ambition to the lessons he learned from them.

Bill loved nature, the sun and the sea, fishing and diving. He was a great story teller, happy spinning spellbinding yarns about his days as a child, then as a highly decorated sailor in the United States Navy, always happy to share his accumulated knowledge and wisdom. Bill never failed to enthrall those who listened to him.

Bill never lost sight of his dreams, agile minded and focused on the ones he loved until the very end, a truly wonderful man, deeply loved by many. He will be greatly missed.