Rosemary Young was born in Klamath Falls, Ore., the youngest child of Percy and Marcella Murray's three children. She grew up on the same street and attended the same elementary and high schools as her future husband, John Young. Rosemary attended Pomona College, studying early childhood development, and was graduated from Oregon State College in 1954. Rosemary and John were married that year and spent the next two years at Holloman Airforce Base in Alamogordo, N. M., where John was a lieutenant in the R & D command. They moved to Palo Alto in 1956 when John was studying at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford. They later moved to Portola Valley and enjoyed living there for over forty years. Rosemary was a natural philanthropic entrepreneur and enjoyed being active in the community. The Peninsula Community Foundation was a small organization with a part-time executive when she joined the board. She became chair in 1971, hired a full-time director, and then helped to build a robust organization to raise awareness and funds that were matched with community nonprofits that needed support. The Peninsula Community Foundation merged with a similar community foundation in 2006 to form the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, now one of the largest in the country. Rosemary was an early and enthusiastic supporter of women's causes. She volunteered to help start the Center for Research on Women as an independent institute at Stanford in 1974. Using her network and fundraising skills, the institute was launched, and its innovative approach was quickly successful and became fully endowed. Rosemary always had a special interest in open spaces and the outdoors. She was a founder and the first Board chair of the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) at its creation in 1985. An innovative organization that raises funds to buy important parcels of open space as they became available. Thousands of acres have been preserved for everyone's enjoyment. Rosemary was a forty year member of the Current Events Club starting in 1973 and always looked forward to its meetings. The club was established by Stanford faculty wives and a few others shortly after the founding of the University. It provided a forum in which to socialize and report on events and topics of interest, while enjoying tea and refreshments. Rosemary was known for her baking skills and delicious tea sandwiches, which all looked forward to sampling. Rosemary frequently hosted the October meeting and shared her garden bounty with members, which included heritage pumpkins and gourds to decorate fall tables. Rosemary traveled extensively with her husband, John, during his 34 year career with Hewlett Packard, the last fifteen years as CEO. She was the consummate host and had a special gift for making others feel welcome. She also enjoyed spending time at the family's second home in Driggs, Idaho, which she loved for its Teton views, access to outdoor adventures and spectacular garden.

Rosemary is survived by her husband, John, sister Marcella Bell, brother Rodney Murray, children Greg, Peter and Diana, daughter-in-law Anjali Tate, and four grandchildren.

Published by Herald And News on Aug. 7, 2021.