Earl Young - His Life and Legacy

Previous ArticleNext Article
Article IndexCharlevoix History Main Page

Earl A. Young, 86, Left
His Mark on Charlevoix

Earl A. Young, 86, pioneer realtor and builder, died Saturday at Grandvue Medical Care Facility where he had been a patient for six weeks. He had been in ill health for several months.

Funeral services were held Monday at the Winchester Funeral Home with Rev. Raymond H. Giffin officiating. Interment was in Brookside Cemetery.

Mr. Young, a resident of Charlevoix for more than 70 years, entered the field of real estate as a young man and became the dean of realtors in northern Michigan 'selling' Charlevoix as a summer resort throughout the midwest.

By utilizing boulders left behind by the great glacier, he built the first house in what was to become known as Boulder Park. An artist as well as a builder, he went on to design and build other homes of the stone that was to become his trademark.

In the early 1950's he realized a dream when he remodeled a 70-year-old grist mill on the north bank of the Pine River Channel into the Weathervane Inn, one of the showplaces in the community. Nearby he designed The Lodge and later still the Weathervane Terrace which stand as monuments to his artistry and imagination.

In more recent years, he has devoted his time to writing a history of Charlevoix as he remembers it. An avid photographer as a young man, many of his early pictures of Charlevoix had been used to illustrate the book that is now ready for print.

Born in Mancelona Mar. 31, 1889, Young came to Charlevoix with his parents in the early 1900's. In 1915 he was married to the former Irene Harsha. They have always made their home here. He was a member of the First Congregational Church and the Charlevoix-Antrim Board of Realtors.

He is survived by his wife; a son, Drew E. Young of Charlevoix; three daughters, Mrs. Robert L. (Louise) Gill, Mrs. George (Marguerite) Currie, and Mrs. Paul J.J. (Virginia) Olsen, all of Charlevoix; 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

The family suggests that anyone wishing to honor Mr. Young's memory contribute in his name to the Congregational Church Building Fund.