Joyce Marie Wheeler Young

Our cherished mother and friend, Joyce Marie Wheeler Young, died on January 15, 2007 in Austin, Texas. She was eighty-seven years old. The cause of death was complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Joyce was born on November 16, 1920 in Copperas Cove, Texas, the only child of Mark and Johnnie Wheeler. After graduating from high school, Joyce attended Howard Payne College in Brownwood, Texas. She was a talented journalist; she enjoyed writing humorous essays for the college newspaper and served as editor of the yearbook. Following her graduation in 1941 with a B.A. in English, Joyce did secretarial work at Camp Bowie near Fort Worth. There she met the love of her life, Harold Chandos Young, whom she married in 1943. After Harold returned from service overseas, the couple moved to Wichita, Kansas where their first child was born in 1947, Gregg Wheeler Young. Two years later, Joyce and her family moved to Austin, where their second child, Jeanne Corbin Young, was born in 1951. Although Joyce worked for many years, the center of her life was family. She was dedicated to her husband and children and loved them deeply. Joyce was the moral compass of the family, reminding them of the importance of kindness, honesty and doing the right thing. She was prone to tears, not from weakness of character, but from emotional depth and compassion. She was optimistic and strong, tender and forgiving. When Joyce was not doting on her family, she was nurturing life-long friendships with her loyalty, humor and love. She was also a devout Christian and active in the Church throughout her life, beginning with the First Baptist Church of Austin. When Joyce and her family moved to Houston in 1957, she continued service work at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church. In the last years of her life, she was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Austin, where she enjoyed visiting and reading to the severely ill. Joyce’s love of learning, particularly through literature, continued throughout her life. In 1967, Joyce began teaching high school English at Spring Woods High and then Memorial High in Houston where she remained until her retirement in 1986. Her specialty was Greek mythology which she brought alive in the classroom year after year. Joyce was considered a strict teacher who expected and drew forth the best out of her students. She was deeply respected by faculty and students alike. Besides reading and writing, Joyce enjoyed book club discussions, cross word puzzles, golf, tennis and playing bridge. But most of all, she loved spending time with her friends. Because Joyce lived a life of integrity, she lived with few regrets and always looked toward the future. Joyce was a wonderful mother, wife and friend. She was a lady and exquisite human being who never said an unkind word about any one. She was a profoundly happy and fulfilled person and we will miss her dearly. She is preceded in death by her husband, Harold Chandos Young, in December 2001. She is survived by her son, Gregg Young (Susan Young), who lives in Austin, and their children, Mark Wheeler Young, Christina Corbin Young, Kassie Young Ingram and great grandson Jackson David Ingram. Joyce is also survived by her daughter Jeanne Corbin Young of Seattle, Washington (David Harte) and her grandson, Joel Corbin Harte. A Funeral Service will be held on Sunday, January 21, 2007 at 3:00 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3208 Exposition Drive, Austin, Texas, 78703-1200, (512) 459-5497. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Westminster Presbyterian Church or the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, Ill., 60601-7633. Obituary and guestbook online at wcfish.com