Floy Ella Muender Young

Floy Ella Muender Young was the last of six children born to Agnes Margaret and Clifford Eugene Muender. Her father delivered her on a snowy new year’s morning in 1935 in a two-room log cabin on the 80 acres her parents homesteaded on Georgia Mesa south of Molina, Colorado. She grew up riding bareback, sledding down mountain roads, and fishing in crystal clear lakes with her brothers and sisters whom she adored.

Floy was a Double-Dutch champion many times over at Emerson Elementary in Grand Junction. As a young woman she loved to spend Saturday evenings taking her beloved mother to the local dance, where she could jitter-bug anyone off the dance floor. During high school she walked to St. Mary’s Hospital to work for 25 cents an hour. After graduating from Grand Junction High School in 1953 she was a highly sought after professional secretary. She typed exquisite, extraordinarily long and intricate reports for demanding men who were uranium industry leaders across the southwest.

Her life took a wonderful turn when she met Earl Alan Young, a dashing young chemist. The day they met Earl was driving a convertible and wearing a red shirt. It was his first day at the National Lead Company, a subcontractor for the Atomic Energy Commission, where Floy was a secretary. The couple had a beautiful wedding with all the trimmings, that they paid for, on November 21, 1959, at St. Joseph’s Church. A reception and dance followed at Café Caravan. October 4, 1960, their first child, Leslie Ann, was born. Floy felt blessed to be a mother. At the time the couple was living in Casper, Wyoming, where Earl was a chemist for Global Mining, a subsidiary of Union Carbide.

The Young family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Floy worked and Earl attended dental school. Earl graduated top of his class and the family moved back to Grand Junction. They established a thriving dental practice, providing a vital service to the community they loved. Together they were unstoppable. January 1, 1969, their second child, Lisa Marie, was born on Floy’s birthday. She was extremely proud of her daughters’ professional and equestrian accomplishments and constantly reminded them they had no limits.

Floy always had a fresh chignon, bright lipstick, and manicured nails, whether pushing cows through a loading chute, delivering lambs, leading a 4-H club, singing in the church choir, attending a Community Concert event, or worshipping at Immaculate Heart of Mary. She could compute numbers in her head quicker than a calculator, acquired numerous properties in the Grand Valley, and built a thriving rental management company. Throughout her life she looked forward to participating in or hosting monthly Mesa County Antiquarian Meetings. She was proud to be their longest standing member. She simultaneously managed the family’s dental practice, was integral to Mesa County Mental Health Association development, and helped at-risk youth as an R-5 Board Member.

After Floy and Earl retired from their dental practice, they traveled the world as volunteers serving the dental health needs of people in Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Mongolia, Myanmar, Siberia, and Tanzania. Floy loved her friendship circle at Crossroads Fitness. Water aerobics was always more fun with her gentle hugs, high kicks, and laughter. Locker 27 was her domain for decades.

Floy was a deeply loved aunt whose nieces and nephews were always close to her heart. Anyone who visited their home, even unannounced, knew Floy would stop everything she was doing to make them a cup of tea, serve them a pastry, and sit down to talk with them about their lives. Anyone fortunate enough to stay overnight was treated to handpicked flowers in a pretty little Victorian vase, accompanied by a loving note, at their bedside.

She was a beloved mother-in-law to Richard J. Larance and an adoring Nana to Colvin, Hayden, and Ruel. She assisted in each of her grandson’s births, helping her daughter Lisa with every labor pain. She loved them completely, always cheering the loudest at their soccer games, beating them at miniature golf, delighting in their academic achievements, and glowing when they joined her at water aerobics. Her love for her grandsons is profoundly shaping the course of their lives.

The world is a better place because of Floy Ella Muender Young. She had the extraordinary ability to make anyone who crossed her path feel immediately loved and heard. She would ask about your family and offer condolences, encouragement, or congratulations in such a way that you knew you were somehow better off for the brief exchange. We will forever miss her.

Floy’s family laid her to rest at Crown Point Cemetery in a private ceremony. Those wishing to honor her memory may donate to Grand Valley Catholic Outreach (www.catholicoutreach.org) or a charity of their choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.callahan-edfast.com for the Young family.