Nathan Young, a veteran FBO professional who led Monterey Jet Center in Monterey, California, for two decades, died on September 12 shortly after his 54th birthday.

Born Sept. 6, 1963 in Seattle, Young grew up in Redmond, Washington, where he spent a lot of time as a child at Boeing Field. His father, Jim Young, had a partnership in the Cessna dealership at the airport.

He became involved in the FBO business as a teenager, joining Galvin Flying Service as a line service technician in 1983. Young spent the next several years working and attending the University of Washington, achieving a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Clay Lacy hired Young in 1990 to oversee the line and customer service departments at its Van Nuys, California, facility. In 1997, Young was offered the position of general manager of the then-startup Monterey Jet Center.

He remained there over the next 20 years, building the facility into an FBO that garnered national recognition, spans 200,000 sq ft of office and hangar space and provides a range of services. Young also was an instrument-rated pilot, logging more than 1,200 hours.

“This kind, gentle man was a thoughtful, caring husband and father, as well as a dear friend,” his colleagues at Monterey Jet Center wrote of Young. “Nate was a motivated, dedicated, passionate aviation business leader. Well liked by all is an understatement. He never had an unkind word towards anyone.”

He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and sons James, Daniel, John and David.