Chad Young, 57

Published 10:56 am Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Chad Young, 57, international vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) passed away at home in Grapevine, Texas, on Jan. 11, 2015.

Young

Young

As a young man growing up in Austin, Minnesota, Chad was inspired by his father Roger Young, who was an active union member and organizer in the United Packinghouse Workers of America, a predecessor union to the UFCW. Chad was an accomplished Golden Gloves boxer in his youth, and he carried that fighting spirit with him throughout his life as he fought for workers and their union.

His life was driven completely by two words: union and family. And for Chad, those two values were interlocked. The day he first clocked in to work at Hormel Foods in Austin in 1981, he joined UFCW Local 9 and began his lifelong career as a fighter for his union family. He stepped forward to lead as a union steward at Hormel in 1983 and again, later, as a volunteer union organizer where he worked on a number of campaigns in Iowa and Minnesota during a time of great change in the meatpacking industry. Chad was also part of a team of UFCW organizers who inspired nurses in Washington State to join together in his union.

Chad joined the staff of the UFCW International Union in 1988 and brought his fighting spirit and warm heart to worker campaigns across the country. He played a key role in the early efforts to win a union voice for workers at Smithfield Foods in Tar Heel, North Carolina, serving as a key leader during an election there in 1997.

In 1999, he was promoted to the UFCW International Office as executive assistant to the Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Division Director in Washington D.C. In 2005, Chad was named director of UFCW Region 5 – Southcentral, and was elected as an international vice president in 2006. He was reelected in August 2013 at the UFCW International Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

Chad was a true warrior of the labor movement. He loved being a part of the UFCW. He was proud to wake up every morning and fight for working men and women. He was loved by many for his sense of humor, hearty laugh and passion for the union and its members.

Chad is survived by his wife, Lynn Young of Fort Worth, Texas; mother Esther Young of Winona, Minnesota; daughters: Heather Young, Ashley Young both of Houston, Minnesota, Jamie Colbert and Kelly Colbert both of Fort Worth, Texas; sisters: Mona Young and Pattie Corey both of Winona, Minnesota; and granddaughters Maya and Cameron.

He is preceded in death by his father Roger Young.

The viewing will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015, at Lucas Funeral Home, 700 West Wall Street, Grapevine, TX 76051. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 422 Church Street, Grapevine, TX 76051. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.lucasfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Chad-Young/#!/Obituary.