William Wayne Young

William "Bill" Wayne Young, 82, of Leesburg, Florida passed away peacefully on March 13, 2026, in Tavares, Florida. Bill was born on November 8, 1943, in Springfield, Illinois and grew up in the small city of Beardstown, Illinois. He and his parents, Lloyd and Mae Young, relocated to Leesburg, Florida in 1957 where they owned & operated Young's Gulf Service Station.

Bill attended Leesburg High School and worked at the family's service station, as well as for Dunnagan’s Air Conditioning, Sheet Metal and Heating. In 1963 he married Rachel Wise (now Ruis). They were married for 28 years and had 2 children. Also, that same year, Bill began his career with Florida Telephone Company as a lineman. In 1964, he transferred to Crystal River, Florida as a cable installer. He was then called to duty in late 1965 and proudly served his country in the United States Army until early 1969. While in the service, he completed communications school at Ft. Gordon, Georgia, and then he & Rachel moved to Germany where he was stationed in Frankfurt for over 2 years. After they returned to Leesburg, Florida, Bill continued his career with the phone company. He retired in 1999 as a senior engineer. His 35 years of dedicated service reflected his tireless work ethic and steady reliability.

In 1995 he married Carol Drewitt, and they lived in Okahumpka, Florida. He obtained his Journeyman Electrician License and continued working part time, doing various jobs. He was a true jack of all trades; there was little he could not do and even less he would not attempt. Over the years, Bill enjoyed volunteering with the American Red Cross, New Life Carpenters for Christ, and numerous other organizations. Even as his health began to decline, Bill was generous and giving and was always the first to offer a helping hand whenever a friend or neighbor was in need.

Beyond his professional life, Bill found great joy in time spent with family and in the many hobbies he pursued over the years. He enjoyed model trains, fishing, photography and film processing, gardening, VW restoration, woodworking, crafting, and playing the harmonica. He took pride in creating things by hand, and will be remembered for the thoughtful, personalized pieces he made and shared with others.

Bill is survived by his beloved wife, Carol; his daughter, Marsha Young-Snyder (Ken) of Leesburg, Florida, his son, Brian Young (Sabrina) and grandchildren, Ethan and Anna Young of Seminole, Florida, as well as Carol's daughters, Sarah Annable (Richard) of Shirland, Derbyshire, United Kingdom and Joanne Eddy (Mark) of Ratcliff-on-Soar, Nottingham, United Kingdom and Carol’s 3 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren of the United Kingdom.

A committal service will be held at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida, on April 2, 2026, at 10:00am. A Celebration of Life will follow at the Highland Lakes Community Clubhouse in Leesburg, Florida on June 6, 2026, at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Disabled American Veterans in his memory @ dav.org