In Memory: Margaret Stewart Luce Young, Age 88

Margaret Stewart Luce Young – mother, wife, grandmother and pioneer – passed away on February 5, 2024 in Rye, New York. She was 88 years old. Margaret was married to the late Sanford T. Young for 59 years, attentively putting two sons on a path to life success. Margaret is survived by her sons Roland (Lila) and Eugene (Zoe), three grandchildren, Bridge, Lincoln and Evelyn and Margaret’s twin sister Roberta.

Throughout her life, Margaret was a whirlwind of activity in the arts, town planning, human resources, all while raising a family. She had a lifelong love of and talent for music, learning the violin and piano at a young age. This love continued into adulthood. She enjoyed, in particular, being a violinist for many years with the Amherst (NY) Symphony Orchestra. Margaret was a pioneering woman, serving as the first female member and then chair of the Town of Lockport’s (NY) Planning Board in the 1970s.

Margaret was born on January 25, 1936 in Springfield, Massachusetts to Stewart and Alma (Hermann) Luce. Later, her family moved to LaGrange, Illinois, where she graduated from Lyons Township High School in 1953. In 1957, she graduated from the College of Wooster with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. She moved to Rochester (NY) to begin her career with Eastman Kodak. It was in Rochester that she met Sanford Young (who had also attended Lyons Township High School). They were married on April 8, 1961 in LaGrange.

For more than 20 years they lived in Western New York, raising their children, sailing on Lake Ontario and traveling around the United States. Margaret returned to school in her late 30s to earn an MBA from the University of Buffalo. She then restarted her full-time career as a Human Resources specialist that brought her increasingly responsible positions, concluding with the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

Margaret and Sandy retired from their then home in Yardley (PA) and relocated to St. Michaels (MD) where they focused on their passions, including gardening, traveling and sailing. Margaret was drawn to volunteer for many years at the St. Michaels Branch of the Talbot County Free Library, stayed engaged with League of Women Voters and served on the Talbot County Zoning Board of Appeals. In their retirement, Margaret and Sandy traveled often, frequently with their dear friends, Paula and Tom Brownlee, whom they had known since their days together in Rochester. They made multiple visits to Europe and visited the Galapagos Islands and Alaska, among other destinations.

Margaret is commemorated in the South Dennis town cemetery in South Dennis, Massachusetts, alongside Sandy, in a part of America that was special to them both. While there will be no memorial service, contributions in Margaret Young’s memory in lieu of flowers can be made to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland, the League of Women Voters or the charity of your choice. Margaret led a full life of love and achievement – she is missed by her family and all who knew her.