Whitney Blair Young's Obituary
Whitney Blair Young, age 88, of Bountiful, Utah, died November 25, 2022. He was born March 17, 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Orson Whitney and Lucille (Blair) Young. He had three siblings, one of whom, Carolyn (Kent) Larsen predeceased him. Steve (Vicki) Young and Doug (Bonnie) Young are still living.
Whit attended Ogden High School, graduating in 1952. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Northwestern States Mission. He then attended Weber College and the University of Utah, then concluded his medical degree at Kansas University Medical Center in 1963. While at the University of Utah he met Rosemary Isom, and they were married on December 23, 1960 in the Salt Lake Temple. They were blessed with three children: Rebecca Rose Young (Michael) Lawyer, David Snow (Christine) Young, and Daniel Isom (Margaret) Young.
Whit was accepted into the Air Force to do his internship at Travis Air Force Base Hospital in California. He and Rosemary also lived in Texas, Maine, Kansas, and Missouri. From August 1971 – May 1972, Whit pursued a master’s degree in Public Health at Johns Hopkins, taking his family to Baltimore during that school year.
After receiving his master’s degree, Whit worked for the Utah Department of Public Health. After a few years he returned to ophthalmology, sharing an office with Dr. John Nicolls in Bountiful, where he remained until retiring.
Whit and Rosemary served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Illinois Peoria Mission from November 2002-May 2004, during which time they were greatly missed by their children and grandchildren.
Whit enjoyed traveling and was able to visit Canada, Mexico, Italy, Germany, England, Scotland, Hong Kong, Hawaii, Turkey, Scandinavia, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Thailand and more.
Whit will be remembered mostly for his passion for history, and his knowledge was vast. He also loved painting military figures, mostly from the Napoleonic period, and had a collection which numbered in the thousands. He also enjoyed community theater, participating in “Promised Valley”, “The King and I”, “Life with Father”, “110 in the Shade” and in college days, “Seven Keys to Bald Pate” to name a few. He also loved music and literature, and was very active in his ward, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and his family.
Whit is survived by his three children, 14 grandchildren: Nicholas Blair (Britney) Lawyer, Melissa Rose Lawyer (Jaron) Peck, Elisabeth Anne Lawyer, Brigham Scott Lawyer, Margaret Valerie Lawyer, Laura Rose Young (Michael) Bluth, Rachel Christine Young, Rebekah Anne Young (Tyler) Richter, Allison Colleen Young, Emily Rose Young (Devin) Parkinson, Anna Lin Young, William Barnes (Mariah) Young, Abigail Mae Young (Liam) West, James Durtschi Young, 11 great-grandchildren, Graham Scott Lawyer, Ross Michael Lawyer, Malcolm Jensen Lawyer, Georgia Rose Lawyer, Samantha Rose Parkinson, Grant Thomas Parkinson, Owen William Young, Rosemary Allison Young, John Joshua Peck, Elaine Rose Bluth, and Larsen Blair Richter; and two siblings, Steve (Vicki) Young, Doug (Bonnie) Young, and many nieces and nephews.
The family would like to acknowledge the tremendous support from extended family, the Bountiful Oak Hills Ward, the Country Park 10th Branch, Harmony Hospice, and Pheasant Run Assisted Living. We are indebted to you for your loving service.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 3 at 11:00 a.m. at the Oak Hills ward building located at 455 South 1200 East, Bountiful. A viewing will be held at the same location before the funeral at 9:30. The funeral services may be viewed via Zoom on the following link: https://linktr.ee/OakHillsWard?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=93a010ed-ab0d-44c3-9af0-20d3cd6830cd
What’s your fondest memory of Whitney?
What’s a lesson you learned from Whitney?
Share a story where Whitney's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Whitney you’ll never forget.
How did Whitney make you smile?