Paul S. Young

Paul S. Young, A Remembrance
By his children Andrew, Audrey, and Daniel

Our father Paul Shih Tsing Young (楊石青) was born in Tsingtao (now Qingdao), China, in the Shandong Province, on September 23, 1930. His father, Andrew S. Young, was a diplomat of the Tsingtao port region. Andrew & his wife Gloria (née Huang) had five children. The first was a daughter who died at a young age. The remaining children were, in birth order: Louise, Paul, Jack and Bernice. Mother Gloria died of cancer in Shanghai at age 38; Paul was 13 years old. Four years later, Andrew married Grace; they had one child, Augusta (Aunt Gussie).

Life for Paul began in style. In Tsingtao, the Youngs were raised Christian in a Tudor-style home, complete with chauffeur, maids, and cook. When Paul was a teenager, he went to the Art College of Shanghai. The founder was a famous painter and friends with Paul’s father.

In 1949, the Youngs fled the Communist takeover. They took “the last ship” to Taiwan and lived there for six months before moving to Japan in 1950. Paul lived there for three years, working for the U.S. Army as an artist. During that time, he also studied with a famous Japanese painter and began learning English. Paul's father passed away while they were living in Japan.

With the help of Christian missionaries—"Mr. and Mrs. Miller" as we knew them—Paul began his new life in the United States in 1953. In Los Angeles, he slept in a wet basement, continued studying English, and studied graphic design and advertising at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He financed his education by assembling cars for GM in the summer and with money he had saved while working for the U.S. Army in Japan.

In 1961, Paul Young met Jessie Chang in a Chinese Christian group called Chinese for Christ in the Los Angeles area. Jessie played piano for the group. After dating for a year, Paul and Jessie were married in Inglewood, California. Theirs was very much an "opposites attract" story. Paul was an introvert immersed in his creative work and spiritual faith. Jessie was (and is) a social butterfly, a natural "alpha" boss, and a born comedienne. And yet, they loved and supported each other for nearly 60 years (with the exception of a few hurled plates of spaghetti, if we're candid).

Now, here's the most important sentence of our father's obit: 

Paul's deep faith in God and love for Him illuminated every hour of his life.

For decades, in the back pages of his Bible, he kept a list of crises for which he prayed to God for help. And under each entry, he noted if they were answered. For every one, he told us, God had responded.

As he said often: "Jehovah jireh, the Lord will provide" (from Genesis 22:14).

As a founding deacon, Mandarin Baptist Church of Los Angeles was the home of his faith. MBCLA was a lifeline and a sanctuary of shared culture and faith for dozens of Chinese immigrant families, a legacy that continues to this day. Nearly all of Paul and Jessie's dearest lifelong friends were part of MBCLA.

About his career:

Paul Young first hung his Art Director shingle out in the late 1950s—the "Mad Men" era of advertising. What a wonder for a Chinese immigrant and tee-totaling Southern Baptist to build up a clientele and support his family amidst the "three-martini and cigarettes" ad agency crowd.

In the 1970's, he worked as head Art Director at Mattel Toys, where he produced the psychedelic Barbie Doll packaging of the era. We kids were recruited as focus group guinea pigs and got to test dozens of weird and wacky toys: dolls, astronaut action figures, Hot Wheels cars, arts-and-crafts catastrophes, and more. Most of those products never made it to market—so our house was an Island of Misfit Toys.

In the 1980's, Paul produced brochures and ad campaigns at the Brian Hardwick agency in Palos Verdes, California, specializing in upscale residential real estate.

For decades, he worked seven days a week from early morning till late at night. He loved designing award-winning logos, ads, packaging, and brochures. When you watched him at the drafting table, you knew what it meant to be "in the flow." Dad. Dad. Dad. DAD! That was our nightly dinner-bell mantra when trying to draw his attention away from the sketch pad and T-square.

In 1996, Paul retired with Jessie to Sandy, Utah, to be with his son Dan and wife Tiffany’s first child, Jacob.

That's the "timeline" summary of Paul's life. But it's the little quirks that we remember most about those we love, right? Here are a few "Paul
Young" favorites:

*He was nearly impossible to annoy or anger. When someone succeeded, he rarely resorted to obscenities. Instead, he would use his own
made-up "rated-G" swear words like "Jolly Molly!" or "That driver is such a...Goo-Finger!"

*He was a natural interior designer who arranged objects in the house with micro-precision. If you nudged a coffee table book, it would get
magically re-squared when you weren't looking.

*He had the uncanny ability to draw perfect circles freehand, of any size.

*He painted many portraits of family throughout his life, including Dan's family pugs Spud and Mochi (wearing holy robes).

*He took a long nap nearly every day of his life.

*He was a legendary eater well into his 80's. Dining hall servers would marvel as he put away four chicken breasts or seven poached eggs at a
go—while remaining trim and with the lipid panels of a spry teenager.

*He was also the slowest diner we ever knew. At family restaurant outings, we always planned on two to three hours at the table. Paul truly
knew how to savor each bite and each moment of his life. (https://youtu.be/pjjUeiS0e0s).

*He couldn't tell a joke and he knew it...but he laughed and smiled at all of ours.

*He was a notoriously bad driver—but mostly due to cosmic chance. He was hit on THREE occasions by police cars or ambulances...while
stopped legally in traffic. And a fourth time by the musician Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young). Luckily, he was never injured in
those incidents.

Paul passed away peacefully on January first, 2022 at the age of 91, in the company of family and a caring staff at Cedarwood Senior Living Center in Sandy, Utah.

Among those here on planet Earth to remember and celebrate his life are wife Jessie Young; his sister Gussie Lew (m. Gene Lew); his three children Daniel Young (m. Tiffany, children Jacob and Nyah), Audrey (m. Irwin Wong, children Matt and Alan), and Andrew Young.

In addition to the aforementioned four grandchildren, in the last week of his life, Paul became a great-grandfather to Jinora, Jacob and Lexi’s first child. Also a cherished part of his family are over a dozen beloved nephews and nieces.

Paul's memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 29th, 2022 at Larkin Sunset Gardens. Fancy outfits optional. Dad loved his Hawaiian shirts and jeans, and would have been glad to see you comfortable and casual if you prefer.

Please let a family member know if you plan on attending.

Larkin Sunset Gardens
1950 E. Dimple Dell Rd.
Sandy, UT 84092

Saturday, January 29, 2022
Visitation time: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Service: 2:00 p.m.

If you would like to watch the recorded services online, please click on the blue "Watch Services" box to the right of his picture.