Obituary of Dr. Charles Young

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Charles Young, PhD, on Aug. 19, 2026, at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Dec. 4, 1933, Charles was the only child of the late Louisa and Cecil Young. His education started at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution with scholarship. It continued with his BSc in Physics at Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1957 and a Masters in Math completed at the University of Toronto in 1958.

Charles worked as a meteorologist for several years at the Gander, Newfoundland airport where he met his wife, the late May Rose Thornhill. Charles and May were married in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1960 and their daughter, Katherine, was born in 1961. The family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan later in 1961. Where Charles earned his PhD in Atmospheric Physics at the University of Michigan in 1963, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.

Charles took a faculty position at the University of Michigan in the College of Engineering/Dept of Aerospace Engineering and High Altitude Lab, where he managed contracts with NASA after completion of his PhD.  In 1967, Charles was offered a position at UNB in the Dept. of Physics and the family moved back to Canada, where Charles became a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of New Brunswick.

He was one of the founders of the UNB faculty union (AUNBT), where he served in various capacities until he retired in 1993. Undergraduate teaching was one of his joys of academia, and he taught many of the courses offered in the Physics department at various points in his career.

Charles’ research primarily focused on atmospheric molecular modelling with publications related to atmospheric physics, climate change, laser spectroscopy, and even blood flow. His publishing career culminated with a shared paper written by his daughter and the late Dr. Gerry Klassen (MD) in 2000, related to the determination of chaotic blood flow in the coronary microcirculation.

Charles is survived by his daughter, Katherine Barclay  (Clayton); by his beloved grandchildren, Chris and Isaac Barclay; his niece, Pamela Snow (Dave); and their children, Heidi and Malcolm. He will be missed and remembered by all who knew him, including academic colleagues and former students. He was predeceased by his parents; infant son, Ian; and his wife, May.

Special thank you to the staff on 4SE at the DECH for their kindness and the care they provided Charles during his last days. 

Visitation will be held at McAdam’s Funeral Home at 160 York Street, Fredericton, on Thursday, Sept. 3, from 2-4 pm. For those who wish, memorial donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation (https://www.heartandstrokenb.ca/) or to a charity of the donor’s choice.