Robert F. Young

Red Lion-Robert Frederick Young, age 91, passed peacefully at home surrounded by family and love on June 14, 2021. He was born in Niagara Falls, NY on May 17, 1930 and lived in Ramsey, NJ for fifty years before recently moving to Red Lion, PA. He is survived by his daughter, Dobbie-Ann Burgio and son-in-law, Steven Burgio; his daughter-in-law Katherine Lieberknecht Young and his three grandchildren, Lucie, August, and Rowan Young; his sister, Ruby Helen Thompson; and his extended family in the York, PA and Niagara Falls, NY areas. Robert was predeceased by his wife, Janet Bishop Dobbie Young, who was his childhood sweetheart and the love of his life; his son, Robert Fredrick Young, Jr.; and two of his siblings, Lloyd George Young and Marion (Young) Fisher. Robert grew up in the Great Depression, and he was the first in his family to go to college, graduating from Cornell University. He was a gifted athlete; he pitched for the Cornell baseball team, and two major league teams tried to recruit him, including the Brooklyn Dodgers. He served as a Navy seaman on the USS Saipan aircraft carrier and as a 1st lieutenant stationed in Germany in the Army Signal Corps. He worked for Bell Telephone until retirement in 1984; while at Bell, he became the inaugural head of the Equal Opportunity Employment program, where he worked to diversify Bell’s workforce. Robert spent winters playing croquet in Palm Beach, FL with his dear friend, Joy Bradford, and summers at his cottage on Drag Lake, Haliburton, Ontario. He became a watercolorist after retirement and was a generous and accomplished chef and baker, sharing homemade pies, jams, and meals with loved ones. He was an officer, a gentleman, and always a wonderful father and grandfather. Robert/Dad/Boompa will be sorely missed, and we will always love you. A Celebration of Life Service will be at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 17, 2021 at Olewiler and Heffner Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Inc., 35 Gotham Place, Red Lion, PA 17356. A visitation will be from 1-2 p.m. at the funeral chapel. Condolences can be sent on Heffnercare.com. CLICK HERE TO SEND FLOWERS