ArrangeWilliam Ray Young died January 24, 2011 three months shy of his 98th birthday. He was born at home outside Foss, Oklahoma on the night of April 22, 1913 during a heavy rainstorm. His parents Evelyn Myrtle Rice Young and William Terrel Young welcomed him into the world, the youngest of three boys. The family eventually relocated to Elk City.
At the age of 14, William suffered the loss of his left arm in a freak automobile bicycle accident. He walked down the block to the Elk City hospital on his own two feet, and was saved by the dedication of Dr. Tisdale, a general practitioner who convinced the resident surgeon that the boy was worth saving. His family still treasures the photo of the hospital’s nursing staff, taken the day of his release.
Two months after he returned home from the hospital, his father abandoned the family. William credited the strength of his mother with helping him get through this difficult time by encouraging him to do as much for himself as possible.
William worked in the fields of Oklahoma and other states, sometimes hoping trains to find the cotton or fruit that needed picking. He worked a short time for Washita County, and also at the nearby Burns Flat air force base.
While he assumed that his perceived disability would prevent him from having a family, this all changed when he met the “love of his life,” Thelma Lee Newman. They married in 1942 and relocated from Elk City to Oklahoma City where they eventually worked at McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Plant. William worked a tool crib at the plant.
Following the end of World War II, William and his wife owned and operated Young’s Grocery Store at SW 29th and Virginia Avenue. They sold the store in 1951 and he became a salesman for National Life Insurance Company.
He retired at the age of 64 and filled his days with a number of activities that brought him joy. He was a crossword puzzle worker, a student of nature and science, a football fan, and an appreciator of the natural world. He instilled a love of reading and a pursuit of knowledge in his two children.
He filled his home with music, and he was always on the cutting edge of music technology, moving from phonograph to reel-to-reel, to other tape formats, to CD. Had macular degeneration not been an impediment, his family has no doubt that he would have enjoyed the world of Internet music. He was also a self-taught harmonica player, and would often serenade family and friends with his talent.
He was the last of his generation in the family, having been preceded in death by his wife, sweetheart and “left arm,” Thelma Lee; his two brothers, Ulysses and Owen and their wives; and his three brothers-in-law and their wives.
He is survived by a daughter, Carolyn Sue Kennedy of Mesquite, TX, and husband William Clifford Kennedy; a son, William Ray Young, Jr., of Oklahoma City; a grandson, Kirk Alan Wilson of Oklahoma City; a granddaughter, Jana Denise Stoll and husband Scott Stoll of Edmond; and two great-grandchildren, Tyler Robert Stoll and Brooklyn Grace Stoll of Edmond.
His family respected him, sometimes tolerated him, often cherished him, and always loved him. He respected his loved ones, sometimes tolerated them, often cherished them, and always loved them.
When his children learned of the indiscretions of William’s father, they asked why he had treated his father so well. He responded that he had decided to treat his dad with the respect a father deserves, and that he, himself, would work to be a better father. In this, like in so many endeavors throughout his life, the one-armed boy from Elk City succeeded.
We love and miss you, Dad. We will cherish the special times we had together, Grandpa. Bye-bye, Pee-Paw.
The family thanks the staffs of Grace Living Center Southwest and Good Shepherd Hospice for the sincere love, friendship and care they gave to William. We can never repay you enough. Memorial donations may be made to Good Shepherd Hospice, 4350 Will Rogers Parkway, Suite 400, Oklahoma City, OK 73108.
Services are 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 27, at Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 8701 Northwest Expressway, Oklahoma City, 721-3182. Condolences may be made at www.chapelhill-okc.com.
ments under the direction of Chapel Hill Funeral Home, Oklahoma City, OK.
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