Jeffrey Emerson Young (1982-2011)
Jeffrey Emerson Young, age 29, died on Wednesday, July 20. Jeffrey was born in Hong Kong on April 8, 1982. In 1983 his family moved to Lafayette, CA. He was diagnosed with profound bilateral hearing loss at Oakland Children’s Hospital. and the family began learning sign language. At just 3 years of age, he bravely boarded a school bus daily to The Gregory Gardens Preschool for the Deaf in Pleasanton, CA, where he demonstrated a high aptitude for learning. When he was 5, his family moved to Pelham, NY, where he attended The New York School for the Deaf in White Plains, NY. He was chosen along with other young achievers to model for the book, Handtalk School, by Mary Beth Miller. In 3rd grade, Jeffrey mainstreamed into the local Siwanoy Elementary School in Pelham. He excelled in his schoolwork and was highly competitive in Little League baseball and soccer.
The family moved to Santa Rosa in 1992 where Jeffrey attended Hidden Valley Elementary School, SRJH, and SRHS. He was honored with “The Every Student Succeeding” Award from the State of California and many other awards and scholarships, including Santa Rosa Rotary Club’s Student of the Year. He was City Champion Wrestler in 8th grade and participated in the La Cantera Jr. Tennis Program, practicing before school at 6 AM and competing in Regional tournaments on week-ends. At age 16 he brought home a 1st Place trophy. In Jr. and Sr. high, besides wrestling and tennis, he excelled in track and cross country.
A Gifted and Talented Student (GATE) with a high GPA in AP courses, Jeffrey was an avid participant in the Odyssey of the Mind competitions. His SRHS team won 1st Place in the Redwood Regionals and went on to win 5th Place in the State competition. As a student in the SRHS ArtQuest Program, he produced a stop-action film entitled “The Magic Ball” which was aired on HBO. He was selected among the top students in the state to attend CSSSA (California State Summer School for the Arts) at Cal Arts Institute in Valencia. He was also selected for Multimedia Arts Camp for the Deaf in Santa Monica, sponsored by the Deaf Arts Council, with deaf actor, Anthony Natale, of “Mr. Holland’s Opus”.
Jeffrey was elected President of SRHS Senior Class of 2000 and presented a moving graduation address on “Audacity” in sign language to a standing ovation. He earned a B.A. in Film Studies from UC Santa Barbara, where he wrote a screenplay and received the prestigious David Siegel Award for students demonstrating drive, tenacity, and courage in the face of adversity. He also attended Rochester Institute of Technology and Gallaudet University for the Deaf in Washington, D.C. Jeff was a counselor at Lion’s Club Camp Pacifica for the Deaf and volunteered at Canine Companions for Independence. He taught sign language to his hearing peers and loved to entertain.
Survivors are his parents, Cindy & Phil Young, Santa Rosa; brother, Wendell; grandfather, John Harrell; niece, Amelie; nephew, Keenan; 3 aunts and uncles, and 7 cousins.
A celebration of Jeffrey’s life was held on Sunday, August 21, at 4 PM at White Oak Winery, 7505 Hwy 128, Healdsburg.
Article published in the Press Democrat, a local Sonoma County newspaper:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110731/OBITS/110739951?tc=ar
Jeffrey Young Memorial Fund
In honor of Jeffrey’s passions and dreams, contributions can be made to The Jeffrey Young Memorial Fund.
Checks made payable to GLAD can be sent to:
GLAD
c/o The Jeffrey Young Memorial Fund
2222 Laverna Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
or donate online through PayPal: 
Contributions to the Jeffrey Young Memorial Fund
Michael Grosse
Beverly Wallstrum
Ethel and Bill Gofen
Carol M. Brown
John Harrell
J. Lawrence Grim, Jr.
Kathy M. Laberge
William M. and Cheryl A. Coulter
Vincent and Paula Baum
The Harter Family: Michael, Ellen, Holly, Harry, Peter & Shelby
Mashey Bernstein
Martin McReynolds
Keith and Carmen Taylor
Mohamed Sayed
James Benefield
Theda Cunningham
Ruth Hucklebridge
Bob and Charlotte Silverman
The Jarashow’s
Philip and Cynthia Young
Kay Ashbrook
John and Julie Kolar
Anne Stonington
Tara Sees
William and Sara Clegg
Carlo and Louise Ambrosini
Eleanor Buckingham
Michael Mouat
Laurie Jacobvitz
Pete Harrell
Marcia Livermore
