Frederick Arthur Young (1927-2016): Ex-city finance director a WWII, Korean vet

Jan. 11--Frederick Arthur Young, a lifelong Toledoan who served as the city's finance director in the 1960s and spent the rest of his career working as a financial and estate planner, died Wednesday at Regency Hospital in Sylvania. He was 88.

The cause of death was not reported, said Martha Young, his wife of 64 years.

Mr. Young was a veteran of the U.S. Merchant Marine on the Great Lakes during World War II and in the Army during the Korean War, working with the American occupational forces in Germany and Austria.

He was born on May 4, 1927, to Fred J. and Erna Young.

His father died when he was 16. As the oldest of five siblings, he assumed the responsibility of helping the family and earning money.

He joined the Merchant Marine as a teenager, working as an oiler on Great Lakes freighters until the war's end.

"He was asked to stay on, but he wanted to finish his education," his wife said. "He had big plans with college."

He returned to Waite High School, where he graduated in 1946.

He worked in several factories until 1950 when he was called up by the Army during the Korean War.

His aptitude for numbers led the Army to send him to its school of high finance in Germany.

He married Martha Boden on March 17, 1951, 16 days after the couple had their first formal date, a movie.

The two were sweethearts since grade school, Mrs. Young said.

She became a registered nurse while he served in the Army and was able to save enough money to travel to Vienna, where he was stationed. The Austrian capital was still divided into four sectors by the victorious allies and travel and life was difficult during that period, she recalled.

After his Army service, the Youngs returned to Toledo, where Mr. Young began working as an accountant in the city's finance department.

Mayor John Potter appointed him to Toledo's finance post in 1962.

As the city's fiscal guardian, Mr. Young raised hackles over what he said were irregularities in expenses and fiscal errors, including $1.4 million that was not accounted for in a sewer project prepared by the city manager's office.

He was ousted two years after his appointment.

"People asked him to do some things that were not allowed in the city charter, and he would not do that," his wife said.

At the time, Mr. Young blamed his removal on a rift with City Manager Frank Backstrom over control of certain municipal functions.

City officials "wanted him to kowtow. They wanted someone they could walk over," his wife said.

While working for the city, Mr. Young attended the University of Toledo, but with a semester to go, dropped out. His wife said working full time and having to repeat some courses was too much.

"He said 'I just need to get on with my life'," she said.

He began helping families with their finances, and he assisted attorneys and their clients with estate planning. A good part of his work with families was not compensated, she said.

"He felt he had been given a lot of opportunities, and it was his way to help people," she said.

He continued to work until recently, his wife said.

He was a student of theater and enjoyed Shakespeare productions.

He dabbled in photography and was a longtime member of the Oregon-Jerusalem Historical Society and the Western Lake Erie Historical Society.

Surviving are his wife, Martha, and sister, Juanita Barnes.

Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Ave, where a memorial service will be held at 2 p.m.

Tributes are suggested to a charity of the donor's choice.

Contact Jim Sielicki at [email protected] or 419-724-6050.

___

(c)2016 The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)

Visit The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) at www.toledoblade.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.