Gary R. Young, Jr., passed on July 27, 2026, at the age of 62. He was born Oct. 24, 1963, in Orlando, Florida.
Born to Gary R. Young Sr. and Sharon (O'Brien) Young, Gary grew up all over the country as a son of military parents. After his family settled in Nebraska, he graduated from Bruning High School. He later moved to Crete, where he began his police career on Aug. 5, 1985.
While in Crete, he met the love of his life, Linda Paulsen. They were married May 23, 1987. In their union, they had two children, Jessica and Daniel.
Gary worked his way through the ranks of the department for 41 years. He was promoted to Chief of Police in 2022. Gary loved his job and considered his police officers family. He was a very active member in many organizations like NeLEIN, PCAN, and POAN. He was also a proud graduating member of the FBI National Academy Class #223.
Gary enjoyed working at his other off-duty jobs, doing security for the Lincoln Stars, Husker Tailgates, and Eagle races among others. He enjoyed being social and meeting people during these events.
In his down time, he could be found listening to heavy metal and wouldn't miss an episode of Jeopardy. He enjoyed making others laugh by sharing multiple memes on social media every day. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family, especially his grandkids.
He was preceded in death by his sisters, Monica Young and Loretta Young. Survivprs include his parents, Gary and Sharon Young; his wife of 39 years, Linda Young; children, Jessica (Ryan) Keller and Daniel (Bailey) Young; and grandchildren, Everett, Brigham, Ainslee, and Alanna.
Visitation and the funeral service will be Monday, Aug. 3, at Ag Hall at Tuxedo Park in Crete. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. and the funeral will follow at 10 a.m. Interment will take place after the ceremony at Lincoln Memorial Park and Cemetery. Memorial contributions are suggested to the family for later designation.
Arrangements by Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home.
