Herbert Arthur Young of Cutchogue died Jan. 19, 2026, at home. He was 96 years old.
He was born March 5, 1929, in Great Neck to Frederick W. Young and Julia (Handschin) Young, and grew up in Great Neck, graduating from Great Neck High School in 1947. He attended the University of Idaho on an NROTC scholarship, graduating in 1951 with a bachelor of arts in geology. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Korean War.
Following his military service, he began a career in oil exploration around the world. His first stop was Peru, where he worked for Texpet and surveyed the upper Amazon Basin. In 1955, he met Susan Ffoulkes-Jones in an oil field camp in Roblecito, Venezuela, and they were married in Caracas in September 1957. Over the next six years, they welcomed three children.
In 1964, he joined Sun Oil Co., with stints in Corpus Christi and Philadelphia, and in 1972 he was transferred to Singapore, where he spent seven years, first with Sun Oil and later with Union Texas Petroleum. In the late 1970s, he established a new office in Karachi, Pakistan, and oversaw drilling that successfully found oil in the early 1980s; Pakistan’s President Zia awarded him the “Star of Pakistan,” the country’s highest civilian award. He later managed Union Texas offices in Jakarta, Indonesia, and London, England, and retired in 1992.
In retirement, he and Susan built a home on Peconic Bay in Cutchogue, where his family had spent summers since the 1920s, and continued to travel, regularly visiting Arizona, Barbados and the United Kingdom. His family said he was known for his warm sense of humor, love of the St. Louis Cardinals and passion for exploring the world.
He is survived by his children, Roger (Linda), Brian (Carol) and Kathryn (Jeff); four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck is serving the family.
