Community Corner
Volunteer Coach, Ref, 'All-Around Great Guy' Passes Away
After growing up in Cinnaminson and spending years involved in Moorestown youth athletics, Richard J. Young died last week.
Richard J. Young, of Moorestown, passed away on January 4 at the age of 52 after a long battle with illness.
Young is survived by his wife, Elaine (nee Bozar) and children Timothy and Colleen Young, both of Moorestown.
He was the son of M. Godfrey Young and Anna Jarvis Young, of Cinnaminson, and the brother of Helen (Robert) Czarnecki, of Cinnaminson, and Andrew (Kate) Young of Elkton, MD.
A native of England, Young was raised in Cinnaminson before moving to Moorestown, where he was greatly involved in youth athletics. He coached recreation and travel soccer teams and baseball teams for several years, as well as street and roller hockey teams, including a number of years as a volunteer coach and referee with the Moorestown Youth Street Hockey Association (MYSHA).
Former MYSHA president Howard Griffis, who helped found the association, described Young as “an all-around great guy.”
“I don’t think I ever heard him say a negative thing about somebody, and I don’t think there’s a person who would say a bad word about him,” said Griffis. “He was a very fair coach ... He wasn't out to do anything other than just be there for the kids."
Find out what's happening in Cinnaminsonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Griffis said the association relied heavily on parents to help with coaching and refereeing clinics, among other things, and Young was "always coming to us with suggestions, always willing to lend a hand."
Chuck Briggs, a former coach who now serves as a referee and organizer for MYSHA, also described Young as fair and excellent with the children he coached.
“He treated his players fair. He treated the refs fair,” said Briggs. “He wasn’t one of those hotheaded coaches. He treated everybody with great sportsmanship … He will be missed.”
Young worked for the New Jersey State Administrative Office of the Courts for 29 years, and for the past several years as Chief of Judicial Education and Performance.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church, 101 Bridgeboro Road, Moorestown. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center or Penn Medicine Cardiology, www.pennmedicine.org.
Condolences may be left at www.lewisfuneralhomemoorestown.com.
Information courtesy of Lewis Funeral Homes
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
