Van Youngquist didn’t sleep much.
That, along with hard work, is how the 20-year Cowlitz County commissioner, Willow Grove farmer and father of three balanced his busy days. Youngquist died Aug. 23 at the age of 84 after a lengthy battle with lung cancer and resulting complications.
After first moving to the county in 1965, the Youngquists were known for the farm and was named the Cowlitz County Dairy Family of the Year in 1974. A few years later, Youngquist began his first of what would be five, four-year terms as county commissioner, spending much of his time responding to the May 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.
“He loved Cowlitz County,” said Julie McCann, Youngquist’s middle daughter. “I think after the mountain blew he just made that his focus, to get everything rebuilt, to do all he could to get the visitor centers, roads and everything done up there.”
The first time she visited Mount St. Helens after the eruption, Jill Faunce, Younquist’s oldest daughter, went with her father.
“He was so full of knowledge and information,” she said. “He was so proud of what the county had been able to accomplish and what they eventually got from the federal and state governments.”
Farming Life
Born Nov. 27, 1937, Youngquist grew up in Skagit County and wanted to be a dairy farmer.
He graduated with a degree in dairy science from Washington State University in 1961. Youngquist married his high school sweetheart, Judy, in 1959. The couple had a small dairy farm in Stanwood before Youngquist joined the Holstein-Friesian Association of America, advising farmers and lobbying lawmakers on legislation affecting the dairy industry.
In 1965, the Youngquists bought a dairy farm in Willow Grove. About two decades later, the family sold the dairy herd and began farming beef cattle and hay.
McCann said she and her two sisters learned how to work hard from their father.
“We watched him get up at 4 a.m. and work until sundown in the summertime because he would be planting the fields with different crops for the animals,” McCann said. “He taught all his girls how to work. We drove tractor, moved irrigation pipe, totally learned work ethic from him. … It was the best life we could have had.”
Jill Faunce, Younquist’s oldest daughter, remembered receiving her own dairy calf at 7 years old as “payment” for moving irrigation pipes around the farm. The idea was raising the cow and her calves would be how Youngquist’s daughters would pay for college, she said.
“I definitely reaped the benefits of that,” Faunce said. “Almost all my education was paid for by my miniature herd. It taught you a lot. You learned about hard work, caring for the animals, and I don’t know if I would have been able to afford college without that opportunity.”
Eruption Aftermath
Youngquist ran for District 3 commissioner in 1978, in part because of land-use issues, intending to serve one term, according to TDN archives. The 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption changed those plans, and Youngquist became the second-longest serving Cowlitz County commissioner.
Over the next 20 years, Youngquist was the county’s point person on volcano response, lobbying for state and federal money for flood control, rebuilding Spirit Lake Memorial Highway and constructing visitor centers.
“He really had a passion for working on those projects and seeing them through to their conclusion,” said Sarah Koss, Youngquist’s former colleague and friend.
Koss, as a county code specialist and later Community Development director, helped put together briefing books and joined Youngquist on several of his 55 trips to Washington, D.C.. Youngquist’s experience with the Holstein Association and lobbying knowledge was valuable in dealing with the eruption’s aftermath, she said.
“It was just really obvious how he understood the process and knew who to contact and what kind of information to provide to most effectively present our case,” Koss said.
While Youngquist took the lead, he made it clear that handling the eruption aftermath was a team effort, Koss said.
“He was just a wonderful person. He was very easy to work with, thought things through carefully and was skilled at putting pieces together,” she said. “He saw the big picture, yet he knew the detailed steps to accomplish each goal. He was very organized and just a real gentleman.”
A lot of post-eruption improvements were possible because of Youngquist’s time spent cultivating relationships in Washington, D.C., said Cowlitz County Commissioner Dennis Weber.
“Most of politics is building relationships, how you can help others accomplish their goals,” Weber said. “Van was skilled at that.”
After Weber was elected to Longview City Council in 1980, he and Youngquist became “good partners” in trying to figure out what the city and county could collaborate on, he said.
Youngquist was the first person Weber called for advice when elected as District 2 commissioner in 2012, he said.
“He gave me pretty good advice. He said, ‘Always listen to the people.’ And I think he took that to heart,” Weber said. “I always felt while having a conversation with Van that he was listening, actively involved in hearing what I had to say, whether we agreed on the end results or not.”
‘He Did It All’
After stepping down from elected office, Youngquist worked as consultant for the county on flood control issues and other Mount St. Helens projects.
Youngquist remained busy after retirement, spending more time on his Willow Grove farm growing produce and running the largest corn maze in the region from 2001 to 2005.
A member of the Rotary Club of Longview for about 50 years, Youngquist was instrumental in organizing the Tour de Blast, said Koss, a fellow Rotarian. Youngquist also attended Northlake Church and served on the Washington State Association of Counties.
In 2018, Youngquist and his wife moved to Mount Vernon to be closer to family. McCann said her father would have stayed on the farm if he didn’t move because of health problems.
“If he could have, he would have stayed on a tractor his entire life,” she said.
Youngquist also enjoyed fishing trips to Canada, first as a young boy with his father, then with his children and grandchildren, McCann said.
Faunce said her father was a WSU Cougars fan, although he didn’t have time to go to many games. Both of her children attended WSU, and her son pledged to the same fraternity as Youngquist, Faunce added.
A long-time Portland Trail Blazers fan, Youngquist was recognized as being a season ticket holder for many years, Faunce said.
“On those days (as commissioner) he would come back from the office and go to a Blazers game. He would get home at 11 p.m. and read the county packet to get ready for the next day,” McCann said. “He did it all.”
Youngquist is survived by his wife of 63 years, Judy, three daughters, Faunce, McCann and Jennifer Youngquist; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20 at the Northlake Church in Longview and an open house will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Little Mountain Estates Clubhouse in Mount Vernon.
