Janice Ling Young

1948 - 2018 - Remembrance of a Determined and Celebrated Life

Sunday, August 19, 2018 at the Berkeley Chinese Community Church, 2117 Acton

Street, Berkeley, CA 94702

July 15, 1948 - Jun 22, 2018

Janice Ling Young was born on July 15, 1948, at what was then Stanford University

Hospital, in the heart of San Francisco, CA. Since Janice was born prematurely and

weighed less that three pounds, she had to fight to survive from the day she was born.

But thanks to the hospital’s pediatric staff and neonatal facilities infant Janice was

carefully nurtured and eventually discharged to her hardworking parents, Edwin and

Frances Young, who lived in SF Chinatown, With the support of her extended

Cantonese American family, baby Janice eventually thrived in their apartment, which

was conveniently located on the cable car line. Ed, Fran, Janice and her older brother,

Kent, actually rode cable cars for transportation.

However, it was eventually discovered that, from her premature birth, Janice had

developed a rare form of mild-to-moderate cerebral palsy, called Erb’s palsy, that left her

with limited movement and partial paralysis of her left arm and leg, though she was able

to ambulate. Nevertheless, Janice never lacked drive and the will to survive.

When Janice was three, her family moved to Richmond, CA, which, during that era,

supported fairly comprehensive educational services. Since the family home was in

East Richmond, Janice was enrolled in public schools from kindergarten, grammar,

elementary, junior and senior high schools. Fortunately, the Richmond Unified School

District operated a special-education campus, Christina B. Cameron School, in

neighboring El Cerrito. Although Janice’s Erb’s palsy was not severely disabling, it was

chronic, and she was the beneficiary of excellent after-school client status at Cameron

School for habilitation services, that included physical therapy, orthotics and

occupational therapy, with supplemental services at Stanford, that included orthopedic

surgery. At Cameron School, her fierce determination, positivity and cheerful demeanor

earned her the admiration of all of the rehabilitation professionals who worked with her.

In 1961, her family moved to El Cerrito, but one of her physical therapists at Cameron

School, Ron Kamb, RPT, kept in touch with her beyond her graduation from El Cerrito

High School in 1966.

Eventually, Janice transferred from Contra Costa College to California State University

at Hayward, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and earned

her Teaching Credential in 1980. Soon afterward Janice began to teach in various

elementary schools in the Oakland Unified School District. Nevertheless, she never

forgot being a pupil of the RUSD Special Education Program at Cameron School. So,

Janice embarked on additional studies at CSUH and the University of San Francisco to

ultimately earn two Masters degrees and, in 1991, the first of a series of credentials in

Special Education. Consequently, she was promoted to Special Education Resource

Specialist, practicing at various campuses in OUSD. Notwithstanding her advance

degrees/credentials and from her unique perspective, according to her Special

Education colleague, Pat Maulet, Janice’s approach was to stress empathy with her

pupils and she was clearly an advocate for their best interests. Naturally, for her

obvious dedication, Janice earned deep respect of her kids’ parents.

Not that these accomplishments ever completely satisfied Janice’s goal-oriented career.

For a period, she interned in orthotics for Stanford University Medical School when it

had been relocated to Palo Alto, adjacent to the main campus. During her internship

she commuted southward beyond Palo Alto and as far as rehabilitation clinics in Gilroy,

CA. Because of Janice’s chronic orthopedic issues stemming from Erb’s palsy, she

could never end her rehabilitation treatments, during which she made a fast friend in

Christine Allen, who was her physical therapist for over the past15 years.

Eventually, Janice decided to undertake doctoral studies at USF and she was

successful in earning her Education Doctorate Degree in Intermediate Children’s

Literature. After 33 years, Janice retired from OUSD in June of 2010.

Since Ed and Frances began attending BCCC and participating in the Senior Center’s

lunch program, Janice became active in the church and she was baptized on April 10,

1986. Although Fran died in 1993, and Ed died in 2012, Janice remained dedicated to

the parish in which she made many loyal friends. By the strength of her cheerful,

straight-forward, and never-quit attitude, she went on to be a long-tenured member the

church council, a role in which she viewed seriously and responsibly. Although Janice

never married or moved from the family’s home, she had an extended family in this

congregation.

On June 22, 2018, Janice succumbed from complications from a fall that eventually

precipitated a massive heart attack. Janice is survived by her brother, his three children

(Ondine, Orion and Jason) and two grand-nieces (Yalile and Talia) and a grand-nephew

(Liam) — three of whom are performing in the musical interludes in her memorial.