James D "Jim" Young

It is with very heavy hearts that the family of James Douglass “Jim” Young, 74, of Lexington, announce his passing on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at MediLodge of Port Huron.

Jim was born September 13, 1950 in St. Clair to the late Russell and Lucille Young and was a lifelong area resident. From a young age, it was obvious that Jim was intelligent, ambitious, principled, and devoted. These traits helped him excel in school, and he was very proud of the fact that he skipped third grade!

Never one to sit idle, Jim’s strong work ethic continued throughout his life. His first job was at Vining Thompson Furniture store while he was still in high school. It was also during this time that he met and started dating Diane Palmateer, his high school sweetheart and future wife. Jim graduated from Port Huron High School in 1968 and enlisted in the Army National Guard, where he served from 1969 to 1975.

Both Jim and Diane graduated from St. Clair County Community College in 1971 and Central Michigan University in 1973. During college, Jim worked at Household Finance in order to pay for his classes. The duo both got jobs and taught for a year in Port Huron before getting married on July 20, 1974 at Colonial Woods Missionary Church by Pastor William Hossler.

Jim’s career continued as an educator with the Port Huron Area School District for 30 years. During the summers and his time off from school, Jim ventured into property investment, becoming a successful owner and manager of 60 properties over the years. Because he was a civics and government teacher, Jim also felt a call to serve his community. He was appointed the Worth Township Supervisor in the late 70’s and went on to serve on the Sanilac County Board of Commissioners for over 14 years.

Jim’s lifelong love of travel led him to begin organizing school trips to destinations like Washington D.C. When word spread about how wonderful his trips were, Jim started receiving inquiries about public tours. He founded an LLC and “Young Tours” was born. For almost 37 years, Jim led groups all over the world, with Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji standing out as some of his personal favorites.

Jim and Diane had two sons who were their absolute pride and joy. Ryan was born in 1981 and Troy in 1984. Both boys benefited from their dad’s love of travel as they experienced hundreds of unique adventures as children. Jim also coached their little league teams and was the type of father to never miss a game. He shared later in life what a privilege it was to see his sons become successful adults.

It almost seems impossible that one man could have been so busy, but Jim took it all in stride. Despite his many commitments, he never wavered in his devotion to his church and family. Boating, wave runners, and beach fires on Lake Huron were a big part of family time. More recently, he loved giving his two granddaughters rides on the 4-wheelers. Even in the busiest of times, he was never one to forget a birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s, or Sweetest Day.

Jim is survived by his loving wife and life partner of 50 years, Diane; two devoted sons, Ryan (Gwenda) and Troy (Chamira) Young; his most precious granddaughters, Karis and Adalyn Young, who made his face light up even on days when he wasn’t feeling well; a brother, Bob (Lori) Young; sisters-in-law, Denise Palmateer and Dawn (Gregg) Wagner; three nieces and three nephews; and many lifelong friends and travel buddies. In addition to his parents, Jim was preceded in death by his younger brother, Paul.

Visitation will be 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at Pollock-Randall Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at Hillside Wesleyan Church with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. Reverend Jeff King will officiate.

Burial will be in Lakeside Cemetery, Port Huron. Pallbearers will be David Young, Brandon Harrington, Andy Paul, Dennis Marx, Phil Haag, and Jim Baldwin. Military honors will be conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Army.

Memorial contributions in Jim’s memory may be made to The Station Wesleyan Church, MediLodge of Port Huron (memory care unit), or McLaren Hospice. To send condolences, visit pollockrandall.com

Jim’s family will be forever grateful to the wonderful staff in the Memory Care unit at MediLodge of Port Huron. God bless you all.