Tributes

Harry DeYoung, 90, of Corvallis died on April 8, 2014, with his loving family and longtime companion, Roberta, by his side. A 25-year resident of Corvallis, he was known as a caring person with a quick wit and entertaining stories to share. Harry was the son of Annie Hameetman and Richard DeYoung. He was raised in Chicago, Ill., with sister Teresa, who preceded him in death. During the Second World War, Harry enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, he was assigned to a Navy tanker based in Seattle, Wash. Harry served aboard the USS Rapidan (AO 18), aiding its mission to fuel warships at sea and in ports around the Aleutian Islands. Fifty-five years later, he traveled by Alaska auto ferry to revisit former ports of call. To his dismay, the Alaskan ports of his memory had grown up so much as to be unrecognizable! He married Jean Gray and after the war they returned to the Midwest to be closer to relatives. Along the way they raised two boys, Mark and Bruce, who now live in Oregon. Daughter-in-law Kathy and grandchildren Hannah, Jake, Sarah, Jen and Nate round out the family. Harry and Jean thoroughly enjoyed family life until her death in 1998. Harry worked in various industries but ultimately became a construction electrician. A 62-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union, he worked on buildings large and small — including skyscrapers being built in downtown Chicago. Known for his creative solutions to electrical system problems, he had interesting stories of electrical installations to support vast banks of mainframe computers. The times and our technology have greatly changed since then! In retirement Harry enjoyed traveling the highways and byways of the West. An avid golfer, Harry often played the Golf City Par Three course, where he made several holes-in-one. He was a 10-gallon blood donor of the American Red Cross. A member of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Corvallis, he received its Man of Honor award in 2009. Harry invites you to join with him in supporting our community’s many beneficial nonprofit organizations. He suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Benton Hospice Service or Calvin Presbyterian Church.

Tributes

Harry Richard DeYoung

September 30, 1923 - April 8, 2014