Derek Zell Young has received his Crown of Glory

Angela and family, My heart is sad, but Derek is healed now. Prayers and love continue with you all. Judy Drewiske and family

I pray for your family and know he is smiling down on you all still holding his wooden cross tightly....hugs and prayers from your "family" in New Mexico. If there is anything we can do for you all please let me know. I know that sounds strange from so far away but I would do it on a heartbeat. God's blessings.

I'm so very sorry & saddened by this news. My thoughts & prayers are with you all. May God hold you in his arms and give you comfort at this extremely difficult time.

Our heart sympathy and love to your family. Judy and Lyle

My heart bleeds for your loss. But, He is with the LORD, forever healed, healthy, happy singing with the Angels. Hugs & Love and Prayers for your hearts to be peace & healed. Leroy & sandy

Dear Young Family, We are here for you. You gave Derek peace. The beauty of your family, your hearts, your love is so large and abundant. Derek is an angel and was in my thoughts all day yesterday and this morning. I knew his wings were opening for his flight to a better place. I am grateful that Derek was in my life, with his smiling eyes and tender true love. He is a beautiful, old soul. Thank you for letting me be a part of his life and helping this transition with transparency. You are all blessings to my family. -with love, Giselle

While the pain is heavy on every family member and friend' heart, Derek's is now gone. Our prayers are with you.

Prayers for you my friend. May you experience the grace and strength that the Lord gives and may you know you are loved by many. I am so deeply sorry. Rachel

Peace for him. Praying for peace for you. Know he is in paradise, restored and healthy...dancing with Jesus. The pain is real, but the hope is real too. I am so sorry for all you have endured and will endure. We ache with you.

So sad. I know that Derek's wealth of strength & faith will help see you through. Our thoughts & prayers are with you.

We are so very sorry for your loss. Derek was such a kind, bright soul and touched so many lives. Our hearts are with you, may Jesus hold you close.

What rejoicing there is in heaven because Derek has gone home to be with his Savior! I am so sorry and sad that you have the pain of living without him on earth. I am so thankful that you have the joy of knowing you will be reunited with Derek one day. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-4 We love you, Young Family!

Peace and joy for Derek! May God also give the peace, which only He can give, to his family. Love and prayers from Margaret!

I'm so sorry for your and all of our loss. Thank you for sharing your amazing son with so many of us. The number of lives he touched and the lessons he taught are more numerous than the stars. He truly was a miracle! His teaching is now done, and he is spending eternity healed and In paradise. Many prayers and hugs.

May God grant you peace, knowing that Derek is with Him in heaven. Derek was such a blessing to have during his short time here with us. He has touched all of our lives with his strong faith and kindness. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. All our love.

We are deeply sorry for your loss, but grateful his huge soul is at rest. Prayers for your healing.

May the peace that surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord.

My prayers are with you and I know that my heart hurting over this is just a fraction of how you must be feeling. May we hold close to the knowledge that we will see him again. Please let me know if I can do anything.

My heart is sad for you Angela and family. Likewise my heart is over joyed for sweet Derek. Oh what a great inspiration for all of us. He will wear his crown proudly! Peace be with you. I love you all. Terri N

My family sends our condolences. May you find some peace in your faith. You and Derek's unwavering faith throughout this time has been an inspiration for many of us. I hope that you find comfort in your friends and family.

Sweet Baby! You taught us so much. Rest and look down upon us all with your kind eyes and sweet heart as we look up to you.

Our sympathy in your loss of Derek. May God's promises comfort you during this time and always. Derek had such beautiful faith, holding the wooden cross....now is the time to hold onto Revelation 21:4. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more sorrow, death, crying or pain. All of these things are gone forever. Our prayers are with you.

We will be forever grateful that we met Derek and grew to love him. Our hearts are so terribly heavy, so incredibly sad, but through our tears this morning we can hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant! … I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” -- Matthew 25:23. Our heartfelt prayers will continue for Derek’s family as we share your loss and your grief.

I am so sorry for your loss. May God keep you close in this time of sorrow.

I'm so sorry for your loss and the hole that Derek leaves behind. He was such a generous and loving boy - I know he prayed for my dad and when he died, he prayed for my mom - so very precious and cherished! Now he has joined my dad - and as he prayed for my mom left behind, I will pray for those he has left behind. May God's peace and strength be with you in the days and months ahead. Lori Malnes (nee Meier)

We are so very sorry for your loss. The Lord works in mysterious ways and he is holding you in his arms and surrounding you with faith, hope and love. It was an amazing blessing to see Angela at the top of the stairs this morning greeting us at the 5k...your strength and inspiration is amazing

Angela and family, I have been following yours and Derek's journey. What a strong little boy you have. His will to live and his acceptance of death is something we can all learn from. He story was such an inspiration to me during this most trying time. You as parents can be proud that you taught him well in his short life. My heart breaks for you at this most difficult time. But Derek is pain free and flying with the angles. Rest in peace Derek.

We are so sorry. Was nice to know Derek had such faith. God bless you and your family at this time and always. Grandpa Rudy and me.

So sorry to hear, my heart breaks for you, all my love to you. May your sorrow be softened by the love receive from above.

My heart hurts for your family, you are and have been in my thoughts and prayers. I will be playing a tribute to Derek in church tomorrow. Our Pastor and congregation have been praying for Derek and all of you, every Sunday, since his struggle began. I have chosen a piano solo arrangement of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." God bless you all. Sharon Neuenfeldt

Our hearts go out to all of you, our prayers are for your comfort & peace knowing Derek is resting in the arms of Jesus.

I love u Angela. My heart hurts so much for u and your family. He had the best life ever. I never have heard of a stronger child then Derek. My heart is hurting for all of u. He's an angel and will be with u always Rest in peace sweet Derek. Love u,

Please know that the staff and volunteers at Hearts and Hands are sending you our sincerest condolences on Derek's passing. Nance Alexander

Angela, Ryan & Kate - Our hearts ache for you. While we rejoice that Derek is in heaven with no more pain and no more cancer, we grieve with you over the loss of your sweet boy. Take comfort in Derek's strong faith that touched so many lives. With love, Amy, Tom, & Mya Walz

Johnand I are just reading about Derek's death. He has met his Maker. May your family have that peace. Rita

Very sorry to learn this news. My heart weighs heavy thinking of you. Derek's journey and his courage taught me to look at things in a different perspective. He will be in my heart forever. God bless each of you!!

God bless you all.

Our little disciple has finally reached all he needed too. May the lessons we learned from Derek stay will us forever. He was loved and will never be forgotten. Deepest sympathies for his loss to us all.

Love to you and your family. We were blessed with honor of knowing one of gods little angel's.

As Jesus hugs Derek, let him wrap his arms around all of you and give you a giant group hug. We are so sorry for the loss of your son, but happy he has gone to be with Jesus in heaven. Peace to all of your family and friends! Patty and Quentin Johnson

We are saddened by your enormous loss. When we have been hearing the cheers of those finishing their races in Rio, Imagine the cheers that met Derek as he Crossed the finish line in the race he had to run. May God contine to strengthen, comfort and keep you. We continue to hold you in prayer.

I have known few souls as bright as Derek. There was an innocent wisdom about him that wrapped those around him in a mantle of peace and assurance that he knew his God and was know of Him. There are few who had so faithfully fulfilled his mission in the mortal world and was so well prepared to take his place in a brighter sphere. I have no doubt that those in that eternal world are experiencing delight in the presence of this bright spirit, even as we here grieve the momentary loss of his company. His family may take comfort in the knowledge that they did all that faith, hope and science could offer. May the spirit of peace and comfort soften the sorrow and brighten the hope of a joyful reunion with Derek when we have fought our own fight and run our own course, hopefully as well as he ran his.

With the angels. He looked like an angel when we last saw him. I am so saddened by your loss of a beautiful little boy and Kate's best buddy. We will hold him in our hearts for many years to come.

We are so saddened by the loss of Derek. When I saw you last Angela and you shared the videos of Derek it was clear that he was so near in his final preparation for his his highest journey and spoke volumes to the boy that he was. I have been in awe of how your family approached Derek's illness and shared so much of yourselves and your unbelievably special son with all of us. He will be forever remembered with his beautiful eyes, innocent yet beyond his years demeanor. So many thoughts and prayers from our family to yours, Our deepest sympathy, Jennifer Rogers-Hocum

So sad for you all. Glad for Derek. . . but sad for you. God bless you in all of this. Al

We just heard today about dear Derek. I remember the day I met him sitting out on the lawn on a windy spring afternoon. He bravely told me about the battle he was up against. I remember thinking this child is well beyond his years. I love the thought of him holding tight to the cross and his desire to be a pastor. Through his story, I hope so many find comfort and strength in the Lord. Thoughts, prayers, peace, and comfort to all of you. Natasha, Anders, and Ariana Thorager

ANGELA, THIS IS YOUR AUNT GLORIA FROM KENOSHA, WI. I JUST GOT WORD THAT YOUR SON DEREK HAS PASSED AWAY. AM JUST SO, SO SORRY TO HEAR THIS. WE LOST OUR SON AND YOUR COUSIN STEVEN WHEN HE WAS 14 YEARS OLD. SO BELIEVE ME THIS IS THE HARDEST THING YOU WILL EVER HAVE TO GO THROUGH. MY HEART JUST GOES OUT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. HOPE MY PRAYERS FOR YOU AND FAMILY WILL HELP YOU SOMEWHAT LOVE AND HUGS, AUNT GLORIA

Angela and Zell, A beautiful celebration of Derek's life yesterday. Thank you both for the amazing strength and blessing you give us daily! Today, I'm thinking of you with all my heart as the kids start back to school. Derek is right along side of them, their angel today and each day ahead. Grace to you with hugs and love! Deb