Stephen Wightman Young, age 88, died on February 21, 2020 at Cornerstone Hospice in The Villages, FL.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Susan Brown Young; and their two daughters, Jennifer Young Pioch (David) and Katherine Young Weller (Mark); five grandchildren (Andrew Weller, Evan Pioch, Luke Weller, Abigail Pioch and Elizabeth Weller); his brother-in-law, Roger Brown (Jennie); and two nephews and a niece.
Stephen, a native of New London, CT, was born in 1931 to Alfred A. Young, Jr. and Betsy Wightman Young. He was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother, Alfred Avery Young III.
Stephen spoke fondly of his youth in Connecticut building boats with his father and sailing on Long Island Sound with his brother. He served in the United States Army for two years during the Korean War and graduated from Antioch College with a BS in Mathematics in 1958.
Stephen began his professional career with Phillips Petroleum Company in 1958 in Bartlesville, OK where he developed a lifelong passion for the emerging computing industry. In 1962 the family moved to Bloomington, IN where Stephen embarked on an academic computing career with Indiana University. He was the Director of the Research Computing Center (renamed the Marshal H. Wrubel Computing Center). He retired in 1995.
Stephen considered his involvement in computing to be personally thrilling and a deep privilege. A lifelong learner, he developed a computer game (“Sniffles”) for Apple at the age of 70 after seeing a grandchild’s iPod for the first time. He also developed a widely used golf handicap program.
For 16 years after retirement, Stephen and his wife spent the winter months in Fripp Island, SC where Stephen was involved in the Men’s Golf Group, was an member of St. Helena’s Episcopal Church, a volunteer math tutor at a local elementary school, and provided computer assistance to many.
In 2015, Stephen and his wife relocated to The Villages, FL where he was a member of St. George Episcopal Church. Stephen was a lifetime member of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
Throughout his life, Stephen enjoyed the ocean, computer application development, running, golf, reading, IU sports, and spending time with his family, especially his five grandchildren. He was always up for a good brain-teaser puzzle. A private, family interment service will be held in Fripp Island, SC. Memorial contributions may be made to the IU Foundation, School of Medicine (Department of Urology), P.O. Box 7072, Indianapolis, IN 46207-7072 or St. George Episcopal Church, 1250 Paige Place, Lady Lake, FL 32159-9315. Please indicate “In memory of Stephen Young” on your gift.