02/18/2026
With much sadness, we share the news of the sudden death of Chris Young on February 5, 2026. Chris was a kind and caring soul with a laugh and a smile for anyone he met. He was always willing to lend a helping hand and a dose of humour, be it while he fixed a home, repaired a car, cleared snow for the neighbours, or made perogies for his parish. Chris will be deeply missed.
Forever loved by his wife of almost 55 years, Jo Anne, his children Selina (Sheldon) and Alex (Karissa), and his grand dogs Sloan, Stevie, and Louie who he adored and loved to feed, even when he wasn’t supposed to. Family meant the world to Chris.
Chris was born on February 16, 1949, in Ibadan, Nigeria where his parents — the late George and Mary (Rayner) Young were living because of George’s work in agriculture with the British government. The Young family (Chris, his younger sister, Susan and their parents) returned to England when Chris was 4 years old, staying for a short time before immigrating to Canada and settling near Ottawa.
Chris studied Mechanical Engineering at Algonquin College in Ottawa. It was also in Ottawa where Chris met Jo Anne who was in Nursing with Chris’ sister, Susan. Jo Anne and Chris married in 1971 and lived in Ottawa and then Kingston, where Chris went to Teacher’s College at Queen’s University. They moved to Caledonia, Ontario as Chris began teaching in schools in the area. After several years, Chris left teaching to work at Stelco (Lake Erie Works) where he stayed for 30 years, making lifelong friends and achieving relative infamy as “Pumba”.
Chris enjoyed gardening, woodworking, and auto repair, especially when it came to Jeeps (his collection of the vehicles once peaked at eight in total). He was a voracious reader of newspapers, magazines, classic comics, and books. Chris had a big sweet tooth and had strong views on ice cream, particularly the “right” size for a DQ Blizzard.
A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on May 23, 2026 at St. Patrick’s Church, Caledonia followed by a Celebration of Life. Chris lived in Caledonia for 51 years until recently moving into long-term care. We are so grateful to the kind and supportive staff at Wentworth Lodge in Dundas, Ontario, who have taken such good care of Chris for the past 7 months.
In lieu of flowers — please consider a donation to Parkinson Canada or Diabetes Canada and treat yourself to an ice cream in Chris’ memory.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to MILLER FUNERAL CHAPEL, Caledonia (905-765-2712). Friends and family are invited to send condolences and sign the Book of Memories at www.millerfuneralchapel.ca
