George Young, husband of the late Mildred E. Young, died in Gloucester, MA on April 27, 2015 after a brief illness. Born in 1924 in New York City to Scottish immigrants John Young and Catherine (Corstorphine) Young, who had brought their two older children with them through Ellis Island, George was the only one of his siblings to be born in the New World. He grew up in Corona, Queens, and attended P.S. 16, Newtown High School, and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. George bought his first shortwave radio at age ten, then received his operator license from the FCC, volunteered as a radio operator at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, and became chief inspector of Hazeltine Corporation’s first wartime radio production line, all while still a teenager. He served stateside in the Second Signal Service Battalion during World War II, intercepting and recording messages for the Army Intelligence Service. He subsequently worked as a radio operator for Grace Lines and as an engineer for Andrea Radio Corporation, Grumman, Sperry Gyroscope, Varian Associates, and Global Systems. Much of his career was in microwave radio, and he invented a down converter used in satellite communications, patented by Varian. He was still active in amateur radio until shortly before his death, operating with the callsign KZ1H. George met his wife, Mildred, on one of New York City’s public tennis courts. They married in 1954, had three daughters, and lived in Hicksville, New York, until moving to Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1971. George and Mildred often vacationed on Shelter Island in New York and at Eagle Mountain House in Jackson, N.H. He was a member of the Beverly Golf and Tennis Club, Bass River Tennis Club, and Wenham Country Club. George continued to play outdoor tennis at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester until age 90. A gifted artist, George studied art in college and created murals, paintings, cartoons, and greeting cards throughout his life. He was an accomplished gardener and maintained a formal rose garden at his house in Beverly for several years. George is survived by three daughters, Jean Curcuru and her husband Anthony of Gloucester, Janet Young and her husband Tony Hilliard of Gloucester, and Diane Young of Ipswich and her companion Mark Koziol; a brother, John Young Jr. of Hanson; a sister-in-law, Alice Schneider of Southampton, N.Y.; four grandchildren, Gregory Moses of Gloucester, and Stephanie Blanchard and her husband Joseph of Worcester, Anthony Curcuru Jr., Adam Curcuru and his wife Salina of Gloucester,; three great-grandchildren, Savanna and Tariq Moses of Gloucester and Adelina Blanchard of Worcester; and a niece and several nephews. In addition to his wife Mildred, he is predeceased by sister Agnes Y. Butcher, two nieces, and a nephew. ARRANGEMENTS: A funeral service open to all family and friends will be held at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 60 Forest Park Road, Woburn, on Saturday, May 2 at 3:30 p.m.. There will be no viewing hours. Following cremation, George's remains will be scattered privately in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the American Radio Relay League using the donation form at arrl.org. Assisting the family is the Mackey Funeral Home, Danvers. www.mackeyfuneralhome.com.
