There was nothing Gordon Wallace (Gordy) Young enjoyed more than a good conversation with fellow fly fishermen.

A lifetime Seattle resident and prominent member of the national fly-fishing fraternity, Mr. Young died Saturday (Feb. 5), five weeks short of his 94th birthday.

He was born in West Seattle on March 14, 1911, graduated from West Seattle High School and went on to earn a degree in 1935 from the University of Washington, where he rowed on the lightweight crew. Except for four years building ships in Portland during World War II, he spent his career in the food-brokerage business in the Seattle area.

His life changed at age 10, when his father and an uncle from New Zealand introduced him to the art of fly-fishing in the Cle Elum River near the family's vacation cabin in the Cascade Mountains. Gordy, as he was affectionately known to legions of fellow anglers, remained an avid fly fisherman the rest of his life.

"He fished with his college buddies and later saw to it that his sons and I caught the spirit," his wife, Jean, said in an article she later wrote when Mr. Young was recognized by the international Federation of Fly Fishers for his service to the sport.

Mr. Young became a charter member of the federation — his membership card bore number 13 — when it was founded in Eugene, Ore., in 1965. He was elected a director of the organization in 1968 and was co-chairman of the federation's national convention at Sun Valley, Idaho, in 1969.

Mr. Young later became a chairman of the Federation's Northwest Regional Council, encompassing Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. He also served as a vice president of the Federation of Fly Fishers and as a member of its executive committee and for many years as a senior adviser to the organization. His frequent attendance at national meetings made him a familiar figure in fly-fishing circles throughout the country, and he had countless friends.

He joined the Washington Fly Fishing Club, Seattle, in 1956, served as president in 1967 and received the club's Empty Creel Award for conservation achievements in 1969. In recognition of his service to the community, the club in 1973 presented him its Tommy Brayshaw Award, named after the late British Columbia angling artist and woodcarver.

Mr. Young later served as a senior adviser to the club and unofficial greeter to guests at its monthly meetings. In 2000, the club honored him with a lifetime achievement award, the only such award presented in the 66-year history of the organization. In recent years, he officially welcomed each new club member with a short, humorous speech about membership obligations and duties.

Mr. Young is survived by his wife of 64 years, Jean Macklin Young; two sons, James Young of Bellevue and Robert Young of Wheaton, Ill.; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests remembrances to the Washington Fly Fishing Club Foundation, P.O. Box 630, Mercer Island, WA 98040, or to the Exeter House Foundation, 720 Seneca St., Seattle, WA 98101.

Steve Raymond is a former editor for The Seattle Times.