James Lee Young was born May 5, 1934, and passed away Nov. 8, 2025.
James was born to Harry and Corinne Young of Beatrice and grew up on the family farm west of Beatrice. He graduated from Beatrice High School and served honorably in the U.S. Army as a member of a medical unit from 1953 to 1955. James married Elna Pauline Kuehner on Sept. 1, 1956, in Diller. To this union, five children were born: Mark, Amy, Anne, Matthew, and Mollie. James graduated from UNL’s College of Pharmacy in 1960. James and Elna lived in Lincoln until 1965, when they moved to Nelson. He operated his own pharmacy in Nelson until 1979, when they moved to Milford.
After moving to Milford, he continued his career as a pharmacist for the next 13 years at the State Penitentiary. He concluded his career in 1996 at Russ’s IGA Pharmacy in Lincoln, where he learned to speak Vietnamese to better serve his customers. Some of his hobbies included woodworking, gardening, aviation, fishing and reading. He was especially skilled in carving, making musical instruments, prayer crosses, rolling pins, and other lathe work.
In recent years, James treasured his time with his coffee crew at various locations in Milford.
James was preceded in death by his parents; his sister and brother-in-law, Helen and Hubert Pethoud, and his son-in-law, David Dovel. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Elna; brother Harry (JoAnn) Young; five children, Mark (Lynette) Young of Fremont, Amy (Bryan) Miller of Milford, Anne (Chuck) Morris of Savannah, Missouri, Matthew (Paula) Young of Story, Wyoming, and Mollie Young (Brian Begley) of Wayne; 15 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren and counting; nieces, nephews, and “honorary Youngs,” the Anne and Boyd Anderson family of York.
There will be no Visitation. The funeral service will be Saturday, Nov. 15, at 11 a.m. at the West Blue Church, rural Milford (224th and Saltillo Road) with burial at the Blue Mound Cemetery, Milford.
Arrangements by Lauber Funeral and Cremation Services.
