Katherine “Kay” Joan Garrard Young, 101, of Fayetteville passed away January 28, 2017.
She was born December 2, 1915, in Joplin, Mo. to John Gorham & Maud Eva Crisp Garrard. Kay was the second child of six in the Garrard family of two boys and four girls. They attended Chitwood Methodist Church, a small stone church, where she became Sunday School secretary in 1930 when she was 15 years old.
Her father, John, worked in a lead mine. When above ground, he loved to play baseball. He instilled in Kay a love of the outdoors. She would always rather be out in the beautiful world God created than inside. In 1933, she attended Joplin Business College before going to work. Her father died in 1934 from silicosis of the lungs. In 1936, her mother, brothers, and two of her sisters moved to Phoenix, Ariz., because of her brother Don’s asthma. Kay was the only one with full-time employment, so she stayed in Joplin with her sister, Shultz.
In 1941, along with her best friend, she answered an ad in the paper for work with the U.S. Government. They worked in St. Louis for four months, then moved to Washington, D.C., where they worked for the Health Department. They loved to ride their bikes along the banks of the Potomac, especially when the cherry trees were blooming. It was in Washington that she met Paul Jeff Young, who was working for the Department of Justice. In 1944, she moved to Phoenix and in November, she and Jeff were married in Yuma, Ariz. Jeff was in Naval Intelligence during WWII. After the war, his job with the Bureau of Prisons took them to Atlanta. They joined Inman Park Methodist Church, where she taught her first Sunday School class. She loved teaching and studying the Bible. Both of her children were baptized at Inman Park and her sister, Shultz, was married there.
Kay went to work for Avon Products when her children started school, thus beginning a 25 year career that included moving to Birmingham, New Orleans, and New York. Jeff worked in real estate after retiring from the government. He manned the home front in East Point for three years, while she commuted to New York. While in East Point, they were members of the East Point United Methodist Church where her daughter, Kaydee, was married to Nathan Mathews in 1971.
Kay retired as Director of Communication in 1976. Her retirement dinner was held in the World Trade Center which was, unfortunately, attacked in September 11, 2001. After retirement, she studied to become a lay speaker in the United Methodist Church, taught Sunday School and served as the President of the United Methodist Women.
In 1979, she and her family moved to Fayetteville and joined Fayetteville First United Methodist Church, where Kay served on the committee to raise the initial funding for the new sanctuary, organized the “Grounds Keepers,” and served on the Administrative Board. One of the special blessings of Kay’s life was to be the Founder of the Discipleship Sunday School class, which she taught for 11 years. In later years, she was no longer able to attend Sunday School, but all the members of the Discipleship Class had a special place in her heart.
Kay was preceded in death by her parents; husband of 42 years, Paul Jeff Young; and siblings, Donald Pierce Garrard, John Dee Garrard, Shultz Ann Justus, Opal Jean Slater, and Billie June Wilkie.
She is survived by her son, Paul Garrard Young; daughter, Kaydee (Nathan) Mathews; and grandchildren, Laurel Anne Young and Alison Elizabeth Young.
A funeral service will take place Wednesday, February 8, 2017, at 11 a.m., at Fayetteville First United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends Tuesday, February 7, 2017, from 4 – 6 p.m. at Mowell Funeral Home, Fayetteville.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made to UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, www.umcor.org or Fayetteville First United Methodist Church, www.fayettevillefirst.com.
Carl J Mowell & Son Funeral Home, Fayetteville –www.mowellfuneralhome.com.
