Joan Young

We regretfully announce the passing of Joan L. Young, 88, of Ferndale, Maryland, who left us while surrounded by her family on Monday 06/28/2021.

Joan was preceded in death by her Husband, James W. Young after 56 years of marriage, and her siblings; William Harrison, Helen Novo, Lorraine Burkhardt, Esther Williams, Betty Ead, Wilma Wilhite, Anthony Sappington, Mary Bagdasian, and Debbie Moses. She is survived by her younger sister Jacqueline Meade and her children; Vicky Young, Cindy Stevens, (Bill Stevens), Wendy Stott, (Gary Stott), Jay Young, (Linda Vondenbosch), Eric Young, (Christine Young), Tracy Pacoe, (Michael Pacoe), Special Niece; Anne Carr-Hartley, Grandchildren; Sherry Hargis, (Tom Hargis), Kyliara Benson, Heather Young, Brent Pacoe, (Kendall Pacoe), Megan Young, Rebecca Yelesin, (Sasha Yelesin), Breanna Pacoe, Benjamin Young, Alexandra Pacoe, Christopher Young, and great grandchildren; Samantha Hargis, Layton Pacoe, and Preston Pacoe.

Visitation will be held  Friday, July 2nd, 2021 at Singleton Funeral & Cremation Services,  in Glen Burnie, between 11:30am and 1:30pm and a funeral service to follow visitation.

Joan was born in December back in 1932 to William Sappington and Willie Mae (Harrison) Sappington in Eastport, Maryland. Joan grew up in a loving home with 8 sisters and 2 brothers. It seems pretty clear that Joan decided early that she loved children and hoped for a large family.

After many years of babysitting jobs, at 18, she landed her first real job as a window trimmer for G.C. Murphy’s in Annapolis, directly at the end of Ego Alley. Joan always spoke fondly of her occupation in that role. In fact, she maintained throughout her life, that it had been her favorite vocation.

Perhaps she held that job in such high regard because in 1950, while at work, she met the new store manager, Jim Young. The two made a striking pair, he at 6’4” and she an attention getting svelte 5’9”. The two quickly fell in love and they wed in 1952, going on to have six children: Vicky, Cindy, Wendy, Jay, Eric, and Tracy.

In 1970, while raising their large family, the two boldly set off on another adventure together of starting and running their own business. Young’s Sunoco/Citgo was born. While Jim ran the business, Joan kept the books, and it wasn’t long before they learned that their teamwork would be as successful in business as it was in love.

Just as their lives were soaring to new heights, with a home full of children and a new business to run, a life-threatening diagnosis of cancer struck Joan in the late 1970’s.  The diagnosis was so catastrophic that doctors at NIH were unable to locate another survivor with the same type and variant. After sustaining a very invasive and crippling surgery to her right arm, thousands of rads of radiation, and hundreds of hours of self-guided physical therapy, she not only survived, but regained full use of her right arm, defying the prognosis of her doctors.

After her Love of Jim and her family, Joan discovered another passion in the mid 1980’s while taking a college course as she continued her education.  After being introduced to quilting, Joan quickly discovered that she not only enjoyed the complex and time-consuming endeavor, she also learned that she had talent.

The average quilt takes approximately a year to create from start to finish by a skilled and experienced quilter.  In the years to follow, Joan hand stitched quilts for each of her 6 children, and then her 10 grandchildren, until a failed surgery forced her to give up quilting due to the resulting limited use of her right hand. Many of these quilts will be displayed at Singleton’s Funeral Home on July 2nd 2021.

After selling their successful business in the late 1980’s, the two settled into retirement and began to comfortably enjoy their lives together as the last of their children began to leave the nest.  Cruises, cross country motorhome trips, and flights to Hawaii filled their itinerary. Life was peaceful and fulfilling until lung cancer threatened to take Jim’s life.   With the fortitude shown in her own cancer battle years prior, Joan devoted herself in the grueling task of keeping Jim alive.   It wasn’t always pretty, but it was love. For over 15 years she managed to assist him in his cancer battle until Jim was ultimately called to heaven in 2007.  Although it was clear that she would have been content to follow him to heaven on that day, God had other plans.

Joan spent the remainder of her 14 years enjoying time with her children, in-laws, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  Telling them stories of her life and how wonderful it had been.

Throughout her life, Joan would always have a small rescue dog which she would fawn over as if it were another child. You can tell a lot about a person while observing them interact with a dog. We can assure you that each of those dogs loved her equally as fervently as she loved them.

She also enjoyed gardening, caring for the ivy that covered her fence, collecting decorative turtles, and watching and caring for the wild birds in her yard.  She was gifted with the remarkable genius of focusing on the positive in people and in all things.  She lived by the saying; “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”  Joan had something kind to say to everyone she met.

She was the best of us all and we will struggle on without her in a very imperfect world.