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Janet Kay Young, a former advertising agency graphic designer, art director and creative director, died on May 9, 2026, in Houston. She was 75. Born in San Antonio, she was the daughter of Thomas and Fing Young. She graduated from Sam Houston High School and earned a bachelor of fine arts degree, with a minor in art history, from the University of Texas at Austin. She landed her first job, as an art director, at The Pitluk Group in San Antonio. Soon she pursued greater opportunities as an art director and/or creative director at other firms such as Winius-Brandon in Houston; The Adams Group in Washington, D.C.; Progressive Marketing in Monterey, California, and industry powerhouse Foote Cone & Belding in San Francisco before launching her freelance practice. The ad campaigns she worked on – for clients like Levi Strauss, PepsiCo, The North Face, Bank of America, Sterling Vineyards and United Way – garnered regional and national awards. Throughout her career, Janet combined concise copy, contemporary typography and strong imagery to create messaging that resonated with target audiences. Whether manually or with the assistance of computer software, she applied her signature aesthetic – clean, bold, modern – to produce distinctive brand logos, print ads, brochures, billboards and corporate communications. In retirement, she enjoyed art, movies, books, tracing her family genealogy, following Longhorn football and watching her nephew, Charlie, grow up and being a part of his life. In recent years, she became increasingly involved in politics and current events by actively supporting candidates and causes she believed in and serving as a volunteer voter registrar. She was preceded in death by her parents but is survived by five siblings, Lettie, Douglas, Rosalind, Emily and Lisa; a stepsister-in-law, Fong, and their families. Survivors also include aunts and uncles, numerous cousins and other extended family members. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Mission Park Funeral Chapels South, 1700 S.E. Military Drive in San Antonio. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the nonprofit group of one’s choice.

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Janet Kay Young

January 17, 1951 - May 9, 2026