Glen I. Young; Salesman, Sportsman

Glen I. Young--a salesman, avid sportsman and longtime Ventura resident--died Thursday following a lengthy illness. He was 77.

Young was born March 18, 1919 in Byesville, Ohio, and grew up in the area.

Young and Betty Wanamaker, of Lordstown, Ohio, crossed the Ohio River to Greenup, Ky., where they were married Feb. 23, 1946.

“They were known for their quickie marriages,” Betty Young said. “But even the quickie ones can last 50 years if you work at it.”

Young and his wife lived in Ohio for a number of years, where he ran a service station for a subsidiary of Standard Oil Co. However, the Young’s first son, Skip, born in 1949, suffered from asthma, and the family moved to the drier, pollen-free climate of Phoenix in the early 1950s following the advice of friends.

The scorching temperatures in Phoenix drove the family to Ventura within a year, Betty Young said. The family moved to a house on Shamrock Drive in 1953 and Young owned and operated a Union service station at Ventura Avenue and Main Street for the next four years.

Three years later, the family moved to a larger home on Varsity Street where they have lived ever since. In 1957, Young embarked on a new career as a route salesman for the Prosser Baking Co., which was located off Ventura Avenue. After 14 years with Prosser, he took a job with Hartz Mountain Co.

Young retired in 1982, which allowed him to pursue other activities, including fishing and bowling.

“He was a scratch bowler,” Betty Young said, adding that her husband played on a local all-left-handed league in the 1970s.

Young made annual fishing trips to Lake Crowley in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, and also enjoyed catching salmon on the Feather River near Oroville. An avid golfer, Young played the links until a year and a half ago, when poor health forced him to stop.

Young is survived by his wife; three sons, Skip, Bruce and John, all of Ventura, five grandchildren and three step-grandchildren. He is also survived by seven sisters: Mary Hall, Lovetta Price, Virginia Shanower, Kate Zigmont, Elizabeth Woodyard and Lillie Greathouse, and two brothers, Calvin and Owen Young, all of Ohio.

A service will be held Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Ondulando Club, 632 Skyview Terrace, in Ventura.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Young’s memory may be made to the Livingston Memorial Hospice, 1966 Eastman Ave., in Ventura.

Arrangements are under the direction of Ted Mayr Funeral Home, Ventura.