Sidney E. Young, a former Killeen mayor, died on Jan. 16 at the age of 87 surrounded by family at his Lake Buchanan home.
Amy Ybarra, Young’s daughter, said her father had a passion for helping people.
“I have memories of him answering the phone in the middle of the night just talking to people because he always wanted to help people and make sure they were helped,” Ybarra said to the Herald over the phone on Wednesday as she shared stories about her father.
According to Young’s obituary, he was part of the fourth generation of the Young family to be reared in Killeen — the third generation to actually be born in Killeen; he remained in Killeen until his retirement. A well known street in Killeen is named after Sidney Young’s grandfather, W.S. Young.
Sidney Young played football and baseball at Killeen High School under Leo Buckley and graduated with honors in 1953.
After graduating from Baylor Dental School in 1959, Young returned to Killeen to practice dentistry for the next 45 years.
“He came right back to Killeen because it was home and he had this drive to serve the city,” Ybarra said.
In the years that Young served as a council member, mayor pro tem, and mayor he played an instrumental role in numerous projects such as serving on the steering committee to establish Central Texas College, aiding in the set-up of the Tax Appraisal District for Bell County, which was used as a model for other districts, serving on the Water District for Bell County, and serving on the Planning and Zoning Board for the City of Killeen, according to his obituary.
“He was very forward thinking,” Ybarra said, “He knew Killeen was going to grow into more than it was back then and even Mayor Segarra was telling us that he was amazed with how forward thinking my dad was,”
But aside from his life as the mayor, Young was a dedicated family man.
“People always thought since we were the mayor’s kids that we got away with everything or people treated us differently, but my parents made sure we knew from the beginning that we were going to be treated no differently than other kids,” Ybarra said.
From Jan. 21 to Jan 23., the city of Killeen flew flags at half staff to remember Young for his service to the city and his dedication to helping others.
“Mr. Young served his city tirelessly in several capacities for years, which shows his dedication and commitment to helping others,” Segarra said in a news release from the city. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Mr. Young and we know he’ll be remembered by the countless lives he touched.”
