Walter Milton Young III

Walter Milton Young III, a.k.a. “Gravy,” 63, of Grand Haven, passed away Thursday, August 10, 2017, at home. Walter was born November 29, 1953, to Walter Milton Young Jr. and Dorothy (Landes) Young in Mishawaka, Indiana. He was an avid outdoorsman and chose to spend both his career as an electrical lineman and retirement outdoors as a hiker, avid golfer, skier, and homesteader. Walter retired from the Grand Haven Board of Light & Power in 2015 after 21 years of service. In retirement he worked for Kent Power as a contractor helping to restore power to areas of large outages and working on new contruction of lines. All of his hard work was focused on his life goal of hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) and retiring with his family at his childhood home, “Young Acres,” at Little Fish Lake near Cassopolis, where he planned to grow vegetables and rent campsites. In 2016 “Gravy,” his AT trail name, hiked 675 miles northbound on the 2,190 mile trail, stopping only for health reasons. Walter is lovingly remembered by his wife, Janet Lynne Brouwer; a daughter, Marla (Jason) Bernal of Holland, Michigan; a son, Walter Milton Young IV (Kristin McCrosky) of Asheville, North Carolina; a special granddaughter Olivia Bernal; sisters Phyllis McKenzie of Paw Paw; Barbara Groner of Dowagiac; Nancy (Charles) Goodrich of Decatur; Shirley (Gary) Young-Bixler of Niles; several nieces and nephews, and countless friends. A Celebration of Life for Walter will be held at Tip-A-Few Tavern in Grand Haven, Michigan, on Monday, August 14, from 2-4 p.m. On Tuesday, August 15, from 2-4 p.m., the family will greet friends at Wakelee United Methodist Church, Marcellus. Interment of ashes will follow at Little Fish Lake Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Johnson Family Cancer Center, 1440 E. Sherman Blvd., Muskegon, MI 49444, or The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, P.O. Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0807. Please visit www.klaassenfuneralhome.com to sign Walter’s online guest book. Arrangements by Klaassen Family Funeral Home.