Robert Duncan Young, 101, of Belmont, entered into eternal rest at home, surrounded by his loving family, on Good Friday, April 3, 2026.
Bob was born Aug. 8, 1924, in Rockland, Maine, a son of Hollis Harrington Young and Emma Duncan Young. He lived in nearby Thomaston until graduating from Thomaston High School in 1942. A year later, he joined the U.S. Navy and completed basic training at the Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island, graduating from the Radio School as a petty officer third class. Bob then transferred to California and became a crew member aboard a U.S. Navy Destroyer Escort USS Sederstrom (DE-31), serving in the South Pacific. He was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, the American Area Campaign Ribbon, and the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign Ribbon with five battle stars. He was honorably discharged as a radioman second class in February 1946.
Bob attended the University of Maine on the GI Bill and graduated in 1951 with a bachelor’s degree. He began working at John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company in the group insurance department and retired as an account executive in 1986.
Not wanting to stay idle, Bob worked for a few years as a dispatcher at the Belmont Police Department. He also was an avid amateur radio operator, with the call sign W1MXI; served for several years as a Belmont Town Meeting member, including on the Warrant Committee; was an enthusiastic member of the Mayflower Society and the Scottish Clan Donnachaidh Society; and served as member of the board of directors and as secretary/treasurer of the Destroyer Escort Sailors Association; was an active member of the U.S. Naval Institute, the Navy League and the Military Historical Society of Massachusetts; and was an historian of World War II naval warfare in the Pacific.
Bob enjoyed golfing, sailing, and traveling, especially to Bermuda, Nova Scotia, and Scotland.
Bob is survived by his wife of 66 years, Joan (Sandiford) Young of Belmont; his son, Robert D. Young Jr., and his wife, Lydia Muniz of New York; and his much-adored granddaughter, Margot Young. He was the brother of the late Russell Scott Young.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Bob’s Memorial Service in the Church of Our Savior, 25 Monmouth St., Brookline, 02446, on Saturday, May 2, at 2 p.m.
A private burial will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bob’s memory to The Church of Our Savior would be sincerely appreciated.
Arrangements by Short, Williamson & Diamond Funeral Home, Belmont, swdfuneralhome.com
