James (Jim) Harold Young, Jr. of Raleigh, North Carolina passed away on June 27, 2014 at the age of 56. Jim was born in Anniston, AL and attended Jacksonville State University. Jim embraced life, always yearning to explore new places, taste new foods, talk with new people and really understand things. He was an avid, excellent golfer who saw golf as a mirror to life in so many ways – planning, visualizing, believing, and taking on a new challenge when necessary. Jim appreciated humor and having fun with people he cared about. Jim was a great story teller, who was intelligent and had an eye for good taste. A perfect day for Jim would be waking up on a warm day to play a round of golf and then to wind down over a good meal and a glass of wine with his friends and family looking out on the golf course as the sun set. Jim loved his family very much and worked hard to beat his illness, chronic Lyme disease. He was a man of perseverance up until the end, inspiring so many people who knew him and who came to know him as he worked to educate others about Lyme disease.

Jim worked in the computer industry, first at Intergraph Corporation in Huntsville, AL and then at Red Hat, QNX, and finally at SAS Institute in Cary, NC until he was forced to retire due to his ailing health. Throughout his working days, Jim won numerous awards, excelling in sales and then training. He was a man of perfectionism, and aimed to do his absolute best all the time.

Jim is survived by his wife Erica Kosal and their two children, Braxton and Annalise Young. Both of his parents survive Jim as well: Jim’s father, Harold Young and his wife Peggy Crow Young and Jim’s mother Patricia Martin. Jim’s in-laws also survive him: Wilma Kosal and Ken Kosal and his wife Deborah. Jim is also survived by his sister Priscillia Brazelton as well as sister-in-laws Lisa Swanson and Monique Dugan along with his brother-in-laws Brian Swanson and Patrick Dugan. Surviving nieces include Elizabeth Cayce and her husband Jonathan Cayce, Rachel Swanson, Evie and Thea Dugan as well as nephews Nick and Jack Swanson and great nephew Nathan Cayce. Jim is also survived by many relatives in Alabama, Tennessee, and Singapore: cousins, aunts and uncles who loved him dearly. Jim touched so many people and will be missed dearly.

A visitation will be held on July 5, 2014 from 6 to 8 pm at Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh, NC. The funeral will take place at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh on Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 3:00 pm.

Donations in Jim’s honor can be made to Heartland Hospice, 3200 Atlantic Ave #100, Raleigh, NC 27604.