Obituary of Robert James Young

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Robert James Young has left us after 89 years. Bob, or Bobby to his close friends, missed his wife of 63 years, Marlene Young (nee Gaudette), who passed away seven months ago. And so he has now joined her. He also outlived his only son, Perry, his parents Henry and Maria Young, and all 10 of his older brothers and sisters. Born in 1932, Bob grew up in the family home on Montreal Street. While a few of his older brothers gained fame for their Yo-Yo skills, Bob grabbed a headline of his own in the local paper at age seven as Regina’s Bo-Lo champion. Bo-Lo is a paddle with a little rubber ball attached by an elastic. Bob could handle two paddles at once. When he grew up, his interest shifted from Bo-Lo to bowling, and he earned a stack of league trophies. In the 1950s, he was struck by cupid’s arrow the roller rink and in 1957, he married Marlene. He worked at a desk job at the city fire department, then sold insurance before becoming a corrections officer at the Regina Correctional Centre, from which he retired. While Bob enjoyed hunting and fishing, he sometimes came home with a surprise. Twice he returned with kittens he had found abandoned in the wild. He had a particular soft spot for ginger cats, and in recent years he loved spending time brushing and fussing over Benji. Frequently crusty and curmudgeonly, Bob became grateful for family in his final months. He is survived by daughter Michele (Mark Rogers); grandchildren Arden and Renee; as well as nephews and nieces, in particular Colleen Vallee, who went above and beyond picking up necessities for Bob. A Graveside Service will be held at Riverside Memorial Park, 815 Assiniboine Avenue, Regina, SK., on Friday, September 3, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Regina Humane Society, Box 3143, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 3G7, where Benji and many other family felines were found.