Willard R. Young

Willard R. "Bill" Young, of Bay City, passed away following a brief illness Saturday morning, October 3, 2015 at McLaren Bay Region, age 72. The son of the late Ralph and Harriett "Jean" (Fraser) Young, he was born on February 1, 1943 in Port Huron. Willard graduated from T.L. Handy High School in 1961 and served in the U.S. Army. He worked at Bay City Chevrolet for 19 years. Willard then earned his master's degree from Michigan State University and went on to work at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, retiring in 2005. He was an avid sports fan, especially rooting for the Tiger's, the Lion's and of course MSU. Willard was a very active member of recovery fellowship for the last 33 years, and helped many to recover from addiction.
On August 28, 1965 Willard married his true love, Mary Jane Loranger, and they proudly just celebrated their 50th Anniversary. Willard is survived by his loving daughter, Michelle (Dan) Scott of Bay City; his two grandsons, Daniel Robert and Michael Lee Scott who were the light of his life; his six siblings, Donald (Karen) Young of Grandville, Jack (Claire) Young of Massachusetts, Janet (Max) Heavenrich of Florida, Darlene "Taffy" (Sam) Rosenquist of Lupton, Terry Young of Bay City and Shelby Buda-Welty of Bay City; two brothers-in-law, Bernard (Wilma) Loranger of Vanderbilt, MI and Warren Loranger of Florida; several nieces and nephews; his special friends, Linda and Scott MacLeod, George Schlicht and Ross Esckilsen; and his favorite pal, Shadow. Besides his parents, Willard was also preceded in death by his father and mother-in-law, Charles and Mary Loranger; and a sister-in-law, Darlene Donaldson.
The Funeral Service will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at the Gephart Funeral Home, Inc. Officiating will be George Schlicht. Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday from 1:00 p.m. until the time of service at 7:00 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the wishes of the family. www.gephartfuneralhome.com