Young T. Sloan

Young Tenney Sloan departed this life Monday, October 04, 2010 at home, at Lake Kiowa at the age of 91 years and 17 days. His funeral service will be at the Hillcrest Church of Christ at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, October 6th with interment in Fairview Cemetery. He was born September 17, 1919 to George Clarence Sloan and Gertrude Tenney Sloan at the family home about 3 miles northeast of Chico, Wise County, Texas with a twin brother Robert Samuel Sloan. Older siblings included Everett M. Sloan, Katherine Sloan Speegle, and Eleanor Sloan Spaw.



Young T. married Juanita Gage (from Sycamore in Wise County) in Los Angeles, California on July 15, 1942 just before he was sent off to war in the South Pacific. They had been happily married for 68 years when Young passed away. They were blessed by the birth of four children who survive: Kenneth E. Sloan of Steinen, Germany, Mark Lyndon Sloan of Seattle, Washington, Robert Young Sloan of Seattle, Washington, and Linda Kay Sloan Hollingsworth of La Mesa, California.



Other survivors include Petra Rust Sloan, wife of Kenneth, Stephanie Arnold Sloan, wife of Robert, Philip Hollingsworth, husband of Linda, and 6 grandchildren: Daniel, Michael, Lisa (husband Dusty), David, Anna Sariya, and Lara Marie.



The Sloan family placed emphasis on education and Young continued in that vein. He attended Decatur Baptist College, Decatur, Texas, North Texas State University, Denton, Texas, University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. These studies prepared him for his 35 year career as a Meteorologist. He volunteered as a Private in the Army Air Force August 12, 1941. His initial assignments included meteorological duties in Texas, California and Oklahoma. Overseas duties included detached service with the Royal Australian Air Force in Australia in 1943. In 1944 and 1945 he served as Staff Weather Officer, Headquarters 6th Army under Lt. Gen. Walter Kruger in New Guinea and the Philippines. He achieved the rank of Major when he was returned to inactive duty January 1946.



Young T. was employed by the U.S. Weather Bureau in 1946 and enjoyed a variety of assignments as a “Weather Man.” These assignments included Abilene, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Midland, and Lubbock in Texas; Honolulu, Hawaii and Wake Island in the Pacific; New Orleans, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Washington, D.C. He retired in 1977 as Meteorologist in Charge of the West Texas Forecast Center at Lubbock.



His hobbies, golf and wood carving, consumed much of his time after his retirement. He had four “hole-in-one” plaques to show for his efforts on the golf course and more than 40 awards at wood carving shows for expertise as a wood carver. After having to give up golf and wood carving, he enjoyed making birthday, anniversary, get-well-soon, and other greeting cards for friends and family on his computer.



Young was a member of the Hillcrest Church of Christ in Gainesville and was active in works of the church until his health failed in recent years.



He was a member of: American Meteorological Society, National Woodcarvers Association, North Texas Woodcarvers Guild, West Texas Woodcarvers Club, and Lake Kiowa Men’s Golf Association.



I (Young T.) am in my 90th year as I update this obituary with some help from my children. With regards to any wisdom I may have accumulated to date, I have found it good to treat everyone I meet with respect and kindness and have regretted those times I did not.