A touching love story that spanned more than seven decades has come full circle. Emily Mary Young died June 13, 2011 just twelve days shy of her 98th birthday. Her husband, Alex, 97 joined her at the end of the summer on September 20, 2011. They were married 73 years ago on September 5th, 1938 in Calgary, Alberta. At the Overlander where they resided for their last years, they could be found side by side, watching the birds and changing seasons from their favorite window. To Alex, Emily was "his bride" or simply "Lea".

Alexander Young was born on April 6th, 1914 in Shellbrook, Saskatchewan. Growing up on a farm, at the tender age of eight or so, a hired hand hooked him on snuff, a lifelong habit that did not adversely affect his longevity. When he was nine Alex moved to Banff, Alberta with his mother, Kathleen, and his father, William Tasker Young. Always adventurous, Alex thrived in this alpine mecca. Resourceful at an early age, Alex created a dog team with the prize German Shepherds his parents raised. While the dogs would pull the sled for Alex, tourists would sometimes find themselves stranded with an uncooperative team if he was not present.

Alex, a natural athlete, excelled at wrestling, won cups and medals and set records in speed skating, hiked the local ranges and even tried ski jumping! He loved fly fishing and later took devilish delight in dragging his family to out-of-the-way fishing holes where if the fish weren't biting the horseflies and mosquitoes certainly were. His hauntingly beautiful photos of the Rockies show pristine secluded areas. Known as a wild man on his Harley Davidson, Alex almost came to an early demise on the Trans Canada Highway when a wayward moose crossed his path. The moose survived and although Alex's pride took a beating, he was bloody but unbroken. He clawed his way back to the road in his tattered leathers and hitched a ride back to town. No more motorcycles, but he remained a biker at heart.

After a stint as a Red Cap toting luggage and supplies for the CPR Railroad, Alex attended Coyne's Radio and Electrical College in Chicago, Illinois. It was when he returned to Banff with his degree in hand that Alex met the fair Emily at a dance. They were wed in 1938. With the outbreak of WWII Alex enlisted in the navy. After training in Halifax, Alex was posted to Victoria, BC where the birth of his first child, Jean, transformed him into a family man. During the next couple of years Jean became big sister to Doug and then Donna. In 1946 Alex left the navy with the rank of Chief Petty Officer. Next came a move to Winnipeg, Manitoba where he worked for Sperry X-ray, installing, repairing, and training technicians on this new diagnostic apparatus. The seasonal extremes soon convinced Alex that Winnipeg was not where he wanted to establish roots.

Back to the mainland the Young family went after a brief stop at Emily's hometown, Killam, Alberta where Patricia was born, the last of his brood. In Vancouver Alex was employed by Canadian Marconi as a radar specialist. After thirteen years with Marconi, Alex joined Gulf of Georgia Towing Co. where he was in charge of the fleet's communication and radar needs until his retirement in 1977. Being the best and only specialized technician they had, Alex had adventures where he was lowered from a helicopter to tug boats hauling oil derricks in raging seas or flying into remote areas in a De Havilland Beaver to repair equipment. Alex loved it. During his long career, Alex was always a stalwart employee who never missed a day of work.

Perhaps Alex's longevity can be attributed to good genes (Grandma Young lived to be 94), or to growing and eating his own vegetables and drinking lots of beer. Alex was never bored. Just as he adapted to changing technology when radios no longer functioned with tubes, he was always seeking new challenges. From being a fly fisherman who crafted his own flies he became a successful deep sea fisherman who fashioned his own rods. In his mid sixties Alex switched from power boats to sail. he took courses including celestial navigation and became an instructor and skipper for the Jib Set. He read the newspapers religiously and enjoyed phoning the talk shows to offer his opinions. When the neighbors banded together to build a uniform one-level rock retaining wall, Alex chose to go it alone, building a two level wall which allowed him more planting space. His gardens were always park-like. He was a connoisseur of compost and an advocate of manure applications, mushroom and steer (aged not green.) Alex gardened into his nineties. He would hook his cane on his electric mower and cut his huge lawn making stops along the way at strategically located chairs. When he moved to Kamloops, Alex took delight in planting crops on the railroad right-of-way. He only ceased this activity when he lost his footing one day and tumbled down the embankment. Alex tried his hand at making his own beer. He was more successful than Grandma Young in this respect, as he never had a batch blow up in the basement.

Through all the years, all the adventures, our dad was secure in the knowledge that he had the devotion and unconditional love of a fine woman, our mother, Lea. When she died, we knew he could not go it alone. We hope and pray that they are together again and in the company of their much loved daughter, Jean, who preceded them in death.

by Patricia Young