Devoted wife and mother, volunteer

Mary Young, a longtime Claremont resident, died peacefully on September 28, 2015 at her Claremont home. She was 92.

She was born in Los Angeles on March 30, 1923 to Julia Marie and George Pabst. She was welcomed as the youngest member of her family by her brothers George and Paul and sister Margaret. As a young girl growing up in Hollywood, Brentwood and Beverly Hills, Mary took up piano, which she played through her life. She also loved to play tennis, dance, enjoy movies and spend time with friends, forming lifelong ties. Through her school years, she remained active in sports, drama, orchestra, student government and philanthropic pursuits. Family and friends were her priority then, and remained so throughout her life.

After graduating from Beverly Hills High School in 1940, she attended UCLA where she joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Before graduating in 1944, she met James Richard “Dick” Young, her future husband. He proposed to her in September of 1943 during WWII when they were visiting Washington, DC, presenting her engagement ring to her later that month at their favorite spot—the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. She professed her love through letters and care packages and, after braving the separation of war, the couple wed on September 29, 1945. With deep and abiding love, they enjoyed 65 years of marriage. Dick preceded Mary in death in 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Young’s life together was defined by mutual respect and admiration, a shared sense of optimism and steadfast view of life as full of blessings. Family was a first priority for both. In this spirit they dedicated themselves to their five children, Cathy, Anne, Trisha, Jim and Barbara; their children’s spouses, Erwin Rieder, Eric Wiedenmann, Bret Vonder Reith, Joy Young and Joe Heidelman; and their grandchildren, Katie, Robert, Josef, Corey, Julia, Jack, Mary, Elizabeth, Amy and Willie.

A resident of Claremont since 1968, Mrs. Young was an active member of Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, a volunteer with the Braille Institute, Casa Colina and the American Red Cross and a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Society.

Mary’s loved ones praised her grace and dignity, calling her a role model to all who knew her and noting her strong faith and moral compass.

“She lived by her principles, always reminding her family that the best word is love. She never criticized and believed one should look for the best in others,” her family shared. “She graced a room with her smile, her big laugh and her genuine interest in others. Her love remains a force within those that were blessed to know her and through them her love will continue to spread to others. That is her legacy… and it is enduring.”  

Her funeral was held on October 9 at Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church. Donations can be made in memory of Mary P. Young to the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1441 Eastlake Ave., Room 8302, Los Angeles, CA 90033.