Charles Emmett Young's Obituary
Charles Emmett Young was born on November 23, 1916 in Chromo, Colorado to George and Pablita Young. Charles had seven brothers and one sister, who all preceded him in death. He attended Chromo Grade School through the third grade, at which time he had to quit school and go to work on the family farm. He worked on the farm until reaching adulthood, and then he worked on various ranches in the area, branding cattle and breaking broncos. He always had many stories to tell regarding those years.
In 1942, Charles was drafted by the Army to serve in WWII as a medic. He traveled the world during his time of service. Quite an adventure for a young man who had never left home before. He was sent to North Africa, where he saw his first action of the war. From there, he was assigned to General George S. Patton, where the unit invaded Sicily and then went on to Italy. He was on the front line action there until they were moved to England to prepare for the invasion of Europe. Once the preparation was completed in England, Charles and his unit invaded France on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day. While in France, he received special orders from General Eisenhower to drive an ambulance carrying vital medical supplies through the war zones without any restrictions. His job was to get the medical supplies through to the wounded no matter what. On one particular assignment, a German sniper shot at Charles while driving the ambulance, grazing his finger and proceeding to hit and kill the other medic in the cab. Charles often wondered why he was spared that day. Later, he was reassigned to General Patton’s unit again, where they relieved the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, Belgium, who were surrounded by Germans. The war ended a short time later, and Charles was sent to New York for discharge.
Following his discharge, Charles returned to Pagosa Springs, Colorado where his family was living. He got a job as a ranch foreman and met his soon-to-be wife, Fauneil Moses. Charles and Fauneil were married on January 7, 1946. A few months later, they decided to relocate to St. Helens, Oregon to be near Fauneil’s parents. On August 11, 1947, their only child, Emmett Roree Young, was born in St. Helens. Charles eventually was hired by Pope and Talbot paper mill, which is now known as Boise Cascade. He worked there for 31 years, retiring in 1980.
Charles enjoyed fishing, woodworking, gardening, and assembling jigsaw puzzles, but most importantly, he enjoyed the time spent with his family and friends. He always had a story to tell and everyone enjoyed hearing them.
Charles is survived by his wife of 67 years, Fauneil, his son and daughter-in-law, Emmett and Sandy Young, two grandchildren, Ann Jennings and Charles Young, and four great-grandchildren, Jentzy Jennings, Zach Young, Hannah Young, and Emily Young. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews in Oregon, Colorado, and New Mexico. Charles will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 29, 2013 at 11:00 AM at Columbia Funeral Home St. Helens, Oregon
Arrangements were by Columbia Funeral Home – condolences may be made to the family at www.columbiafh.com
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