John L. Young

The world is a little less bright today, as we lost one of the good ones. John L. Young passed away April 2, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. John was born September 30, 1947 in La Mesa, Texas where his family ran a cotton farm.  John's family relocated to Rupert, Idaho in 1957 where via a lottery for veterans, his father received a parcel for farming under the Homestead Act.  He attended Minico High School and was on the debate team with Lou Dobbs, which inspired him to go to college to become a lawyer.  In 1965, John moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to attend the University of Utah. He was a proud Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) where he made lifelong friends and graduated in 1969.  John received his JD from the University of Utah law school in 1973. He was a long-standing active member of the Utah Bar Association and licensed to practice law in Utah and Wyoming.   John was a founding member of Young Hoffman, LLC, specializing in construction law. For several years John served as the Chair of the Utah Model Jury Instructions Committee.  He also spent a year chairing a task force with previous State Senator Scott Howell for what became the Residential Lien Recovery Act/Fund.  John also authored a number of successful legislative proposals for the construction industry.

John was an avid fly fisherman and his favorite day was opening day fishing on Silver Creek in Idaho.  He also loved fishing the Madison River in Montana and the Green River in Utah. John was passionate about his legal work with the Utah Stream Access Coalition, to promote securing and maintaining public access to Utah's public waters and stream beds.

John is preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Allene Young, and his brother Royce Young. He is survived by his wife, Joan Young, his children Carter Young (Keri) -expecting grandson, Megan Young Chatterji (Neil), his stepson Garrett Cottle (Leila and Sage), his sister Denese Young, his brother Wayne Young (Trudy) and his nieces and nephews.

The family would like to especially thank his best friend Robert Bergman, his law partner and dear friend Jeremy Hoffman, and dear friend RC Montrone.

Due to Covid, no service will be held but please give him a nod next time you are on your favorite river.



In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in John's name to:

Utah Stream Access Coalition

Care of John Ludlum, Treasurer

P.O. Box 91154

Salt Lake City, Utah 84109

https://utahstreamaccess.org/



"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a River runs through it.  The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters". - Norman Maclean



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