Raymond Henry (Jr.) Young

Raymond Henry Young, Jr., was born on September 28, 1927, in Needham, Massachusetts, and died on March 19, 2026, in Lexington Massachusetts. He was 98 years old.

Ray’s long and successful law career spanned almost 70 years. A graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School, Ray began practicing law in 1950. In 1964, he established the firm of Young & Bayle with Shirley D. Bayle, where they practiced as partners for almost fifty years. Ray joined Hemenway & Barnes in 2013 until his retirement in 2018.

While known primarily for his work in Trusts and Estates, Ray took on a variety of cases in the early years of his career. A malpractice case he won became the basis of the film The Verdict, starring Paul Newman. In another case, he was one of two attorneys appointed by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to investigate claims of corruption against a district court judge, which ultimately led to that judge’s disbarment. Ray also successfully represented immigrants from Ghana and China with citizenship claims.

Whatever the nature of the case he was working on, he was known for his extraordinary dedication to his clients and colleagues. In addition to this commitment to existing clients, he also helped shape the practice of trust and estate law for generations to come by playing an active active role in probate and trust reform, including the enactment of the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code and the Massachusetts Uniform Trust Code, and his work with the American Law Institute.

Ray received many awards and accolades during his career. He was named as Lawyer of the Year by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and Estate Planner of the Year by the Boston Estate Planning Council. He was Past President of the Boston Bar Association. He was elected by his peers as an American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Fellow. He served in numerous leadership roles within ACTEC, including Past Regent and advisor to the drafting committee for the Uniform Statutory Rule Against Perpetuities and Director of the ACTEC Foundation.

Ray met his future wife, Louisa Breda, in the sixth grade in Needham, Massachusetts. They grew up and married in September of 1951, and lived most of their 65 years together in Watertown, Massachusetts, until Louisa’s death in May of 2016. Louisa was a great music and art lover who studied opera in her youth; she helped Ray to appreciate all of the arts. Despite having a tin ear, he happily accompanied her to numerous opera productions, mostly at the New York Metropolitan Opera. While taking in a full production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, he noted that it was, in essence, a contract dispute.

Ray was a generous father to his children and grandchildren, always willing to pay for education and other expenses, and always helping them to live their best lives. He was unfailingly cheerful and kind, with a big laugh, a keen mind, and a lively sense of humor.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Louisa Breda Young. He is survived by his three children; Christopher Young of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Pamela Young Lietar (Paul) of Providence, Rhode Island and Boulder Colorado, and Amy Young (Paul Merewether) of Spring Lake, Michigan; two grandchildren, Thomas Lietar and Audrey Lietar; and one great granddaughter, Nora Young Lietar. He is also survived by his long-time partner Shirley Bayle, his constant and loving companion during his final years at Brookhaven at Lexington.

There will be no service, in accordance with Ray’s wishes.

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