Dr. John R. Young, a forward thinker, innovator, and dedicated ambassador of agriculture, passed away at 85 years of age on June 25, 2018 at Legacy Village of Tifton. His funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, June 28, 2018, in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Tifton, where he has been a faithful member since 1960. The Rev. Jim Donovan and the Rev. Mark Brantley will officiate. Dr. Young will be laid to rest at Oak Ridge Cemetery later on Thursday evening attended by immediate family. The family will receive friends Wednesday, June 27, 2018, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals.
Dr. Young was a graduate of Taylor County High School in Perry, Florida, where he was born and raised. After returning from Korea, where he served as a medical lab technician until 1951, he began his studies and earned his B.S. in Bacteriology-Chemistry and Zoology from the University of Maryland. He also completed graduate work at the University of Maryland, receiving his M.S in Entomology in 1959 and a PhD degree in Entomology, with a minor in Statistics in 1964. Following graduation, he moved to Tifton, where he had a 30- plus year career at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station, an extension of the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, until he retired in 1989.
Dr. Young was an active choir member in Washington, D.C. and with the First Baptist Church of Tifton for over fifty years. He was also a member of the Tiftarea Choral Society and the Lions Club for several years. His love for agriculture grew into a hobby of growing and generously gifting plants of all kinds to friends and family.
Born August 6, 1932, John Young was the son to the late Ellen Tedder Young Pitts and Jim Lee Young; and stepson to Elmer Pitts. He is also preceded in death by two brothers, Earl Young and Pasco Young; and three sisters, Wistalone Brannon, Betty Pearl Courtney and Ruby Merle Dugal.
Dr. Young is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Ilene Carpenter Young; a sister, Glennis McMillan and her husband George; and a brother, Kenneth Young and his wife Emma. He is also survived by his children, one son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Pam Young of Raleigh, NC; and one daughter and her husband, Malinda and Phil O'Brien of Gainesville; nine grandchildren and their spouses, Kristin Sappe and her husband Michael, Samantha Vice and her husband Jon, Dallas Peek and his wife Alli, Candice Young, Tyler Haire, Casey Haire, Ryne Haire, Katie O'Brien and Haley O'Brien; and four great-grandchildren, Presley Vice, Lane Vice, Raylan Sappe and Vanna Peek.
Memorial gifts may be made to Hospice of Tiftarea or the charity of your choice. The family wished to thank the staff at Legacy Village of Tifton for their loving kindness and attentive care during his stay there. They would also like to thank Hospice of Tiftarea for their excellent care and assistance.