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Atlanta 3rd District City Councilman Ivory Lee Young dies at 56

Young had been on leave since early September according to his staff.

Atlanta City Councilman Ivory Lee Young Jr. passed away Friday at a local hospital. He was 56 years old.

Young had been on leave since early September to undergo a stem-cell transplant.

“My faith has never been stronger. The grace and mercy of Jesus Christ has been with me from the moment of this diagnosis,” Young said before undergoing treatment.

In early October, the District 3 staff had reported that Young had been hospitalized, but did not go into details regarding his condition at the time.

At the time, Rev. Gerald Durley spoke about Young.

"As a family man, he is impeccable," Durley said. "When you talk about Ivory Young, you have to look at the intensity and Integrity of the man. He started a long time ago standing up for people."

On Sept. 4, Young shared a post on his Facebook page, thanking a doctor who helped him with his cancer diagnosis years ago."He's always been the rock," Durley said. "When they were told he had cancer and had to go through the stem cell, he was still a rock for all of them."

"When you talk about Ivory Young, you have to look at the intensity and integrity of the man. He started a long time ago standing up for people," Rev. Durley said.

Credit: Atlanta City Council
Atlanta City Councilman Ivory Lee Young died on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 at the age of 56.

"Our hearts are deeply saddened by his death as we send our prayers and unwavering support to his wife, Mrs. Shalise Steele-Young, and family," City Council President Felicia Moore said. "Councilman Young fought as hard for his constituents as he did for his own life, during a long battle against cancer. May he be remembered for the measurable accomplishments he made on behalf of citizens in Southwest Atlanta and most of all, for his indomitable human spirit." 

Councilman Michael Julian Bond said he was heartbroken by the loss of his colleague and friend. 

"He and I have worked closely together for more than 25 years and in our shared westside communities," Bond said. "He was a prince of a man, a dear friend and a respected colleague. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Shalise, and the Young family.”

Young was serving in his fourth term on the city council. He was a member of the City Utilities and Community Development/Human Services committees as well as the Committee on Council.

During the Reed Administration, Young helped to shepherd the Westside Revive program which resulted in the active redevelopment of the Martin Luther King Drive Corridor and the acquisition of more than $65 million for the completion of the Historic Westside Village project that served as a catalyst for continued investments.

Young was a native of Butler, Ala., the son of a retired Army sergeant major who had served in the United States Army for more than 30 years.

“The different places that he served while in the Army afforded me and my family exposure that I don’t think we would’ve ever had. It also gave me a love for all people,” Young has said about his childhood.

Young grew up wanting to be an architect and was in the industry for more than 30 years.

Funeral services will be announced at a later date. The family asks for privacy at this time.





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