James Kent Hitchcock Young

James Kent Hitchcock Young passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family on June 11, 2026, in the Barnette Center of Compass Regional Hospice. Born June 22, 1926, in Newark, NJ, to the late Stuart Adams Young and Eleanor (nee McCarter) Young, Kent was the youngest child of the four Young children. Kent enjoyed a full and happy childhood, attending Newark Academy in Livingston, NJ and St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH. He graduated high school early to enlist in the United States Navy as an Electrician’s Mate, where he served for two years in the Philippines during World War II. Following his military service, Kent attended Princeton University where he was a member of the Cottage Club and the sprint football program and later earned his medical degree from Columbia University’s Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. While Kent found his purpose in the practice of medicine, he found his heart in a beautiful and brilliant nurse named Patricia Ann Britten whom he met at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, while completing his residency. They were married in 1957 and began building their lives in Centreville, MD, where Kent had a private medical practice before relocating to Moorestown, NJ, where they would adopt the first of six adopted children. While living in Moorestown Kent worked at Memorial Hospital in Mt. Holly, now known as Virtua Hospital, where a plaque recalling his excellent service as a physician still hangs today. Kent and Ann moved to Princeton, NJ in 1984 where he worked as the head physician at Meadow Lakes, a full medical facility retirement community, in Hightstown, NJ. It can not be understated how beloved Dr. Young was among his patients at Meadow Lakes and his time there would inspire his lifelong dedication as an advocate for dignity in palliative care. In 1990 Kent and Ann returned to Centreville, MD where Kent again worked as the community’s primary physician, becoming well known locally for his compassion, often accepting bushels of corn or oysters as payment or providing housecalls to his housebound patients. Kent retired and moved with Ann to Corea, a small, picturesque fishing village on the coast of Maine. The pair shared a great love for the coast and had 53 happy years together before Ann’s passing in 2010. Kent maintained his connection to medicine and patient care and advocacy during his retirement by serving as a co-chair for the Compass Regional Hospice’s Barnette Center and in 2018 Dr. Young was the first-time recipient of an award for his longevity of commitment to this cause. A man of deep and abiding faith, Kent was a loyal parishioner of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Centreville, MD, where he was an usher, a reader and a member of many church committees. Always looking to serve and contribute, he dutifully packed lunches into backpacks for local school children at St. Paul’s every Wednesday well into his nineties. Kent discovered a great talent for baking during the last decade of his life, much to the delight of the St. Paul’s Sunday coffee hour attendees. St. Paul’s held a big place in his heart, having attended long enough to see a child confirmed, a grandchild baptized and a wife memorialized within its sacred halls. Those who knew Kent will forever remember his warm smile, gentle spirit, and the ever-present “I Like Ike” hat proudly perched atop his head. He was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word, a man who embodied all the good and decent traits we strive to teach our children. And while he never sought attention or acclaim, he found deep contentment and gratitude in life's simple pleasures: a sunset over Reed Creek, a hard-fought Princeton football game, a good book, sailing the Chesapeake upon the Edelweiss, and, most of all, the laughter of his family and friends. Kent is survived by his six children, Deborah Carson (Hugh), Peter Young (Donna), Courtney Young, Brooke Walker (John), James David Young (Rose), Honore Young; ten grandchildren; and three great grandchildren. A memorial service for Kent will be held at St. Paul’s Parish, 301 S. Liberty St., Centreville, MD, on July 11, 2026, at 11 A.M. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charitable cause of your choosing.

James Kent Hitchcock Young

June 22, 1926 - June 11, 2026