Obituary of Maryellen Youngs

January 24, 1928 - October 23, 2022

Maryellen Youngs.  Age 94 of Southgate.

Beloved mother of Teresa (Joseph) LaPalme, John Youngs Jr., Joe (Marcy) Youngs, the late James (Maureen) Youngs, Mary (Mark) Tizedes, Tom (Maryann) Youngs, Annette Vann, David (Susan) Youngs and Paul Youngs. Cherished grandmother of 28. Great Grandmother of 22.

Luncheon Information

Saturday, October 29th

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Celebration of Life Luncheon

Southgate VFW

16200 Dix Toledo Road

Southgate, MI 48195

Family Tribute

Maryellen Youngs, beautiful mother of nine. God expected great things from you, such a quiet, and beautiful flower whose extraordinary beauty was only surpassed by your glowing, and mighty Christian conviction. You may have been the most surprised by how far God would stretch you for his name’s sake over your 94 years. Yes, he expected great things from you, and you responded yes. You not only loved, and shaped your own path, but the many that God placed in your path. God would have you casting your loving net wide, from making meals for a family in our neighborhood who lost their mother, to supporting a poor family in the Jeffries Projects in Detroit, to supporting and visiting a poor family in Mississippi, to traveling all the way to Tanzania Africa for three weeks, and spending countless hours over many years of fundraising thousands of dollars for missionary doctor Luke Tupper who ran a medical ministry on the Amazon river for the poorest of the poor. You did all this and much more while doing the never-ending job of raising your large family: groceries, laundry, school lunches, supper, homework, bedtime, loving, nurturing, comforting, disciplining, inspiring, and faith building all in a day’s work, repeat, repeat, repeat and never retreat. You were that amazing example of what happens when somebody simply says yes to God’s call.

Entering into your middle life as your kids grew older, you went back to college and received a degree from the School of Social Work at Wayne State University at the age of 56, and just for kicks you were a straight A student. But we always knew you were sharp, you only had to play cards of Scrabble with you once to know that. One of your first job out of college was as a state inspector for nursing homes. It seemed like a stretch, but we could only feel sorry for some institution that failed to live up to the legal standards, or was somehow exploiting the vulnerable, because we knew they would have no place to hide from you.

You had so many interesting ways you were involved with community, through charity work, Christian organizations, and you were even an editor of a small local newspaper. God surely used you in many, and mighty ways, but the most profound legacy you left was being the faith bedrock from which your ever-expanding family was built; 9 children, their husbands and wives, 28 grandchildren, more husbands and wives, 22 great grandchildren, and growing, and growing.

God expected great things from you beautiful Maryellen, and you said yes!

2 Timothy 4:7-8

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day.