James Young

James (Jay) Dillingham Young Melbourne James Dillingham Young, 77, passed away peacefully at home on March 20, 2016 after fighting pancreatic cancer courageously for two years. Jay was born in Dallas and spent his youth in Texas. In 1961, he graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in Radio/Television Communications. During an eight-year career in the Army, Jay rose to the rank of Major. Under his leadership, the first television station on the ground in a combat zone was established. Service in Vietnam was followed by a stint in the Pentagon, during which he oversaw all Army radio and television stations worldwide. While serving in Germany, Jay’s first wife, Micki Jo Tatman, gave birth to his only child, Philip Jay Young. This began a lifelong bond with his son, a relationship he cherished, taking an active part in coaching his son’s athletic teams during his youth and sharing his son’s successes as an adult. Military service was followed by a rich career lasting 27 years at the U.S. Government Printing Office in Washington, DC. As a senior manager, he oversaw transformation of the Superintendent of Documents office, initially overseeing office automation, then directing programs for public dissemination of government information. During his 18 years in the federal Senior Executive Service, he oversaw the shift of government publications from paper to microform to electronic format. This included dissemination of millions of government documents to 1,400 Federal depository libraries nationwide. Sales operations were comprised of a national order processing and call center, a warehouse distribution center, 35 bookstores across the U.S., and the consumer free program operated out of Pueblo, Colorado. During this period, Jay met his second wife, Jan Erickson, to whom he was married for 34 wonderful years. They enjoyed a very special companionship, in addition to sharing the same professional interests and activities such as travel. In 1998, the couple moved to Brevard County, home of his wife’s family, where he began playing golf regularly, as well as tennis and bridge. He also rekindled a lifelong interest in music, playing the keyboard and writing music, and playing in the faith band in the Methodist church. Jay’s very personality embodied character; he lived his life honorably. Clearly his last two years were about living, not dying, and showing grace and courage even in the worst fortuity. Jay is survived by his wife Jan Erickson; son, Philip Jay Young; two grandchildren, Caroline and Catherine Ann Young; and two nieces, Katherine Cecilia Sequeira and Patricia Erickson. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Rotary Foundation (www.rotary.org), his faith band “Forgiven” at the United Methodist Church in Rockledge, or to your favorite charity in memory of Jay. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 5th at 11am at the United Methodist Church in Rockledge. A reception will follow.