Stuart Young considered himself a fortunate man. He lived a good life and had no regrets. He
traveled the world and was a gifted athlete. Blessed with lifelong friends and a loving family.
Born November 25, 1942 to Rose and Reuben Young in Detroit Michigan. He enjoyed a happy
childhood with his brother Charles ( Chuck ) in Huntington Woods, Michigan. Graduation from
Wayne State University Law School lead to a long and distinguished career, both as a senior
trial attorney in the Oakland County Prosecutors office, and primarily in private practice as a
criminal defense trial attorney. As a lawyer he practiced throughout southern Michigan, arguing
many cases before the Michigan Supreme Court. He was admitted to practice before the
United States Supreme Court in 1977.
Stuart was an avid traveler. He visited and golfed in most of the states. He toured the
Bahamas, Thailand, Italy, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Macau. He swam in the Dead Sea in
Israel and took a ten-day white water rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. After meeting his wife
Susan and marrying in 1984, they continued to travel the earth visiting such exotic locations as
India, China and Africa. They watched the sun rise over Mt. Haleakala in Maui Hawaii on their
honeymoon. They took a ride on the bullet train in Japan, went on safari in Kenya and
Tanzania, and visited the Taj Mahal. In Australia they climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge and
experienced the Great Barrier Reef. During a three-week cruise of the Galápagos Islands they
swam and snorkeled with sea lions and giant sea turtles. They walked the Great Wall of China
and took the Star Ferry in Hong Kong. They rode the "Lunatic Express" sleeper train from
Nairobi to Mombasa and cruised Milford Sound in New Zealand. In Rajasthan India they took a
camel safari into the Thar desert and slept under the stars. They were in Kenya the day Nelson
Mandela was released from prison and witnessed the exuberant celebrations. In both New
Zealand and Scotland, they drove from one end of the country to the other, playing golf and
sightseeing. There were visits to the great museums of London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York
and Washington D.C. and many golf vacations to Acapulco, Florida and the Caribbean.
Sports were an important part of Stuart's life. Modest to a fault he described himself as "while
not the greatest athlete in the world, I had many sporting adventures with varying degrees of
success" the truth is that most would envy his skill and accomplishments. Baseball talent lead
him to Parma Ohio in 1967 where he pitched in the U.S. World Championship. Taking up the
game of Squash as a young man, he quickly excelled and won the State of Michigan Novice
Championship in the 1970's. The next year he won the class C championship and the following
year won the class B championship. Playing Hashim Kahn, the reigning world champion, was
another highlight of Stuart's Squash career.
Golf was a lifelong passion. Taught as a young man by his father, he began playing the game at
Rackham Golf Course, an historic public course in Huntington Woods next to the Detroit Zoo
(where you can hear lions roaring while playing). At Rackham he met and played with many
Motown luminaries including the boxer, Joe Louis. A true student of the game, he enjoyed
practice on the range as much as playing a round of golf. At the height of his golf career he
sported a plus one handicap, one better than scratch! Over the years Stuart belonged to
various golf clubs in Michigan such as Red Run, Wabeek, Tam-O-Shanter, Walnut Creek and
the University of Michigan course Radrick Farms, where he won many club championships.
Deciding to challenge his golf skills outside of the club level, he entered the statewide
Michigan Amateur Championship in 1986. Surprising no one but himself, he had the lowest
round in the sectional qualifier, earning a place in the prestigious tournament. There, as a
rookie at the age of 44, be bested both younger players and veteran competitors alike to
advance to the coveted "sweet 16" in match play.
Over the years Stuart continued to play in many statewide competitions, even winning the
Southern Michigan Championship with his wife Sue at his side as his caddy.
Stuart felt truly luckily to be able to combine his love of golf with travel, playing worldwide.
There were rounds in Nairobi, Kenya, New Delphi, India where peacocks roamed the course
and high in the Andes Mountains in Quito, Ecuador, as well as many other locals. Highlights
were the famous courses of St. Andrew's in Scotland and Valderrama in Spain.
Not being able to play golf during Michigan's long cold winters inspired Stuart to take up ice
hockey at the age of 50. He enjoyed many years of league play, forming a team with fellow
lawyers and friends named "The Sharks" (his wife Sue's suggestion). He made many new
friends playing hockey and skated in several "old timer" tournaments. He went on in hockey to
represent the State of Michigan in international hockey play in a tournament in Spain. In 2003
he represented Michigan an won a gold medal in the U.S. Senior Olympics in Buffalo New York.
Retiring after a 40-year legal career, Stuart and Susan moved to Florida in 2005, fulfilling
Stuart's lifelong dream of playing golf year around. Stuart continued golfing in tournaments for
many years. In 2008 he finished second in the Florida Senior Championship.
Florida brought new adventures such as joining a boat club and getting his motorcycle license
so he could buy and ride a Vesper Scooter. He co-founded a current events discussion group
that has continued to meet for more than ten years now. He loved finding new recipes and
enjoying a home cooked meal. Sue's apple pie was his favorite. An avid reader, he loved
listening to a good audio book while sitting in his favorite chair and smoking a good cigar.
Always a sports fan, he never missed a Detroit Tiger Baseball game, watching them on his
Major League Baseball App. Stuart played golf right up to the end, carding a 74 for his last
round, well below his age.
His wife Susan comforts herself with the knowledge that they had a wonderful life together.
They were lucky to see the world, play golf and enjoy a happy and loving home enriched by
family, friends and pets. Stuart was respected and admired both in his professional career and
all his sporting endeavors as a man of honor and integrity. A fierce competitor but always a
gentleman and the perfect sportsman.
We will miss his warm smile, his sense of humor and his keen intellect. Stuart died peacefully in
hospice on Thursday, February 27th, 2025.
A loving and devoted husband, brother and uncle. He will be sorely missed by all who knew
him.