Obituary of Joan Young

Our mother was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on October 20, 1927 and passed away Tuesday, September 9, 2008. Mom was at least a second generation Oklahoma in that her mother Alpha Mae Park was born in Red Oak, Indian Territory (now Latimer County, Oklahoma). Our Grandmother's mother may have also been born in Indian Territory, so our family has deep roots in Oklahoma; and our mother deeply loved Tulsa. In her declining years, when offered the opportunity to live comfortably near our sister Janet in Texas, mother, with tears in her eyes, would state emphatically that she did not want to leave Tulsa. Mother attended Whittier Elementary School, Cleveland Junior High School, and graduated from Central High School in 1945. She married our father, Buddy Young, a veteran of World War II South Pacific action, on September 10, 1947. She died just one day shy of what would have been their 61st wedding anniversary. Dad passed away in 1989. As with many families, ours experienced tough times in the years when we were kids. For a period of ten years or so, mom had to take work outside the home, and she hated every minute of it. Mother wanted nothing at all other than to be a mom and a housewife. She wanted to wash and iron clothes, cook meals and do the dishes, sweep the floors, make the beds and look after her four kids and a menagerie of pets that included dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, pigeons, parakeets, and even a bat who had baby bats. She was a great mother to each one of her four offspring. She had the ability to personally experience the highs and lows each of us encountered and to let us know that she did. But she never meddled or lectured. Then came the grandchildren (and one great-grandchild who is still an infant). Long had passed the time that shelving needed to be added to the other three walls of her den in order to have room for the latest photos of the grandkids. They were a continual delight to her. She was Gee-Gee to the grandchildren. Now, it is important for everyone to know that the "G" in Gee-Gee is a "hard 'G'" as in the word "gander", not a "soft 'G'" as in the word "gender." After the children were gone from home and when there were not grandchildren visiting, her dogs were her kids. There were a number of canine companions over the years; always in pairs. They were her constant buddies and they were completely inseparable. In the last years, there were times when it seemed that it was the dogs that kept her going. As other "boomer" children today understand, it's tough when the kids have to become the caretakers for their parents. Our mother, despite it sometimes not being in her best interest, would resist our attempts to step in and help. It was said by one of her caretakers and by more than one attending nurse, she was a tough old lady. And so our mom is gone. This brief remembrance is an expression of love for her from her children, Terry, Rick, Susan and Janet. Funeral service at 2 p.m., Friday, Memorial Park Cemetery Chapel. In lieu of flowers, we ask that charitable contributions be made to the Humane Society of Tulsa, 6232 E. 60th, Tulsa, OK 74135 or Tulsa S.P.C.A., 2910 Mohawk Blvd., Tulsa, OK 74110. Ninde Brookside Chapel, 742-5556. www.ninde.com