William H. Young (1882-1908)

YOUNG

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 2/25/2017 at 19:55:12

From Nevada Representative January 22, 1908

OBITUARY

DEATH OF WILL YOUNG

William H. Young, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. George M. Young, died early this morning at the parental home in this city in consequence of injuries received in a fall to the cement sidewalk while painting the front of the Dewel store on October 10 last. The fall which he had was a fearful one, the distance being about thirty feet, and his landing upon his back and head. Elmer Smay, who fell with him, landed more fortunately and escaped with flesh bruises, from which he still limps and with the loss of his right arm; but Young's condition seemed hopeless from the start, and the wonder concerning him has been that he survived so long. His skull was crushed at the back; his spine was dislocated, and a splinter of the backbone was driven through the spinal cord, the dislocation and splinter together crushing the cord. The internal pressure upon the skull pushed the crushed portion back into place after two or three days and thus he was permitted to regain consciousness; but the removal of the splinter bone from his back and the replacement of the displaced vertebra did not and could not restore the spinal cord, and the lower portion of his body and legs were substantially paralyzed from the time of the fall. Later on he did show some apparent sign of improvement; but such signs warranted very little real encouragement. The month of December he spent at the Methodist hospital in Des Moines; but during that month he failed rather gained, and on the first of January he was brought home again to die. He has since failed quite steadily in general strength and in capacity to take nourishment, and the end came quite according to expectation. He is through with struggle that was hopeless and that was accompanied with much suffering; and it is impossible to express regret that such struggle is over.

Will Young was born at Hopkins, Nodaway county, Missouri, September 13, 1882, and died at Nevada, Iowa, January 22, 1908, aged 25 years, 4 months and 9 days. His father had been raised in the southern portion of Story county; and the family returned to Iowa and settled at Nevada in March, 1897, since which time their home has been here. Will grew up here with others of his age, worked at various jobs and took to the trade of a painter. At this trade he was employed when he went up on a swinging scaffold, the fastenings at one end of which proved to be insecure. Some months before his accident he had taken out insurance in the order of Mystic Workers, and this insurance has been a benefit in his illness and will be a great help to his family. Very great and very general sympathy has been felt for him during his illness, and the courage of this struggle for life has been much admired. He was the eldest of this family and is survived by his parents, five sisters and one brother.

His funeral will be conducted Friday morning from the Presbyterian church; and the interment will be in the cemetery at Center Grove in Union township, where other members of the family are buried and in the neighborhood in which his father was raised.