Christina Young

Christy Young was always game for anything, ready for whatever challenge life threw her way. She was a remarkable woman, as patient as she was positive, as fun-loving as she was faithful. Most of all, she was a loving daughter, wife and mother, who devoted her life to her family and her faith. Christys story began on a cool fall day in 1972, as the leaves turned color in Burlington, Wisconsin. Those were turbulent times in this country, as the Vietnam War continued to rage on overseas, and the break-in at the Watergate Hotel created the greatest presidential scandal in history. On October 16, 1972, James and Frances (Norwood) Simon found a reason to celebrate, with the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they named Christina. Christy was the last of the couples four children, joining her big siblings James, Lee Ann and Kathleen in the familys home in Powers Lake, WI and later in Hart, Michigan. Her dad was a hardworking toolmaker, while her mother was a homemaker and later on a daycare provider. Being the baby of the family, her siblings also had a hand in Christys upbringing, and always joked that they were really the ones who raised her! Christy was a very shy little girl, but well-liked by her classmates at Hart Public Schools. She was very musically-inclined at a young age, learning to play the flute and possessing a beautiful, rich singing voice, as well. She attended Hart High School, where she was a member of the schools marching band, too. Christy enjoyed hanging out with her friends at the local pizzeria after school, and was always home early before curfew, because it was so close to her house! She was a very good girl, though, quiet and sweet, and voted Most Shy by her class as a senior. After she graduated from Hart, Christy attended Westshore Community College for two years, falling just two credits short of completing her Associates degree. Soon shed have more than schooling on her mind. When she was in her sophomore year at Westshore, Christy began singing with the Whitelake Festival Choir. She sang tenor, and was placed with the mens section, where she was chided by a handsome young man named Ken Young, who told her she was in the wrong spot! Christy thought Ken was handsome, and began flirting with him, and while he thought she was adorable, he assumed she was in high school and too young for him. One night he overheard her tell her friends she was going to go to the Tiki Bar, and he said, Yeah, right, youre just a sophomore. Christy quickly corrected him, Yes in college! Christy had Kens full attention from that moment forward! Ken knew deep down that Christy would be the girl hed marry even before he ever asked her out! He eventually did ask her out, and on their first date he helped her collect bugs for her biology class (she passed the class, and he passed the test). The couple began dating, during a turbulent six-month period in Christys life. She was diagnosed with acute stages of Lupus, which affects the immune system, and her father became terminally ill, as well. So much of their early dating consisted of watching TV and football with Christys dad at her house, while she learned how to handle her disease. Christys father sadly died in 1993, and Ken provided loving support for his girlfriend. He knew long before then that she was the one for him, and even told his parents after they met her for the first time that she would be their daughter-in-law. They had but one concern about Christy: She couldnt cook! Christy was unabashedly honest about her not wanting to cook, and her desire to never learn! Ken of course didnt care, they had too much fun together, too much love to let a little thing like eating get in the way. They loved going to Duck Lake together, the place where Kens dad proposed to his mom. One day they were sitting in the car at Duck Lake channel, and he commented how the name Christy Young had a nice ring to it. He didnt have a ring to give her at the time, but she said, Are you asking ? He said, well, yes. And so did she. They were engaged for 15 months, and were married on August 20, 1994, a summer wedding so their anniversary wouldnt interfere with hunting season! The newlyweds honeymooned by driving out West, seeing the Mall of America, Canada, and Yellowstone National Park, too, camping in tents a lot of the time. Christy might have been a girly-girl, but she wasnt afraid to get dirty! The couple settled back in Rothbury, where Ken worked at CMI Dearborn and Christy worked at Freeze Pack, the cut vegetable supplier. It wasnt long, however, before she had a bigger job: mother. Christy and Ken were blessed with two beautiful boys over the years, first with Zachary in 1996, and then Isaiah in 2001. Christy was so thrilled to be a mother, and her whole world revolved around her boys (Ken included). Christy was a quiet, compassionate lady, but she was no pushover, especially with her sons. They were very rambunctious boys, Christy always kept a cool head, always knowing when enough was enough, when shed put on her Mom Look, and call them with their middle names! That was all it took. Christy and Ken had a beautiful marriage, and were a true team in everything. They made a deal early on: Ken would cook, Christy would do laundry, and theyd both clean up. Things were safer that way! What Ken cherished so deeply about his wife, is that she loved Ken for just being himself. If he had any flaws or misgivings, she just looked past them. Christy always had a away of making him feel wonderful. One time, when Ken later became ill, the kids worried about their mothers cooking. What are we going to do, were going to starve! Zack said. He also told his doctor that he was subjected to secondhand smoke whenever his mom was cooking! Despite bravely battling her disease, Christys health gradually began to decline. Her spirits were strengthened by her family and her powerful faith in the Lord, which always saw her through the toughest times. She was a woman with a great faith in God, and was a member of the Fruitland Evangelical Covenant Church. Eventually, her health diminished and she was admitted to the Select Specialty Unit of Hackley Hospital in Muskegon. After 46 days there, Christy sadly died on Saturday, February 16, 2008, at the age of 35. Christy was a wonderful woman, as beautiful as she was beloved, as patient as she was positive. Some of her favorite hobbies, outside of her familys interests were reading, especially Stephen King (she had his complete collection) and scrap booking. These things she continued to do, as her illness progressed. She was a fun-loving, faithful woman, who devoted her life to her family and her faith, as a loving daughter, wife, mother and friend. Today her life, and her love, lives on in all who knew her. She will be greatly missed. Christy is survived by her husband Kenneth Ken Young, sons Zachary and Isaiah, mother Frances Simon, brother James Jay (Carole) Simon, sisters Lee Ann (Jay) Ball and Kathleen (Robert) Blanchette Moore; in-laws Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Young of Montague. Her father James, precedes her in death, along with her grandparents. Funeral services will be at 4:00 PM Feb. 20, 2008 at the Fruitland Evangelical Covenant Church with Pastor Brian Kyle officiating. Reception for food and fellowship will follow. Memorials donations may be made to the family to assist with funeral costs or to the Fruitland Evangelical Covenant Church Building Fund. Please visit Christys personal Memory Page at www.lifestorynet.com to share a memory or photo of her, or to sign her online guestbook.