Ethel Lillian Young, 95, Russell, Pa

[Stan]

Ethel Lillian Young

June 22, 2011

The Post-Journal

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Ethel Lillian Young, 95, educator and local historian, was born at the family home near Russell, Pa., Nov. 11, 1915, and died there on June 19, 2011, in the company of family members.

She was the younger of two daughters born to Andrew W. Young and Lillie Adams Young. Her older sister, Inez May Young Gleason, passed away in 1999.

Miss Young's mother, a local elementary teacher prior to her marriage, taught Ethel the first five grades at home, after which she entered public school in Russell. In 1933 she graduated from Russell High School. Then she worked to earn her tuition while studying at Washington Adventist University, Takoma Park, Md., where she earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education. In 1954 she earned a master's degree from the University of Maryland. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Mich., in 1972.

Ethel taught first grade at the Russell Elementary School for five years, 1937 to 1942. She then taught in the Seventh-day Adventist Church school system for a total of eleven years in Bradford, Pa., Orlando Fl., and Takoma Park, Md.

She continued employment by the SDA church as a supervisor of elementary schools for nine years in the Columbia Union which included the following states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. She was sent as elementary supervisor of the Far Eastern Division of the denomination, headquartered in Singapore. For four years, she traveled ex-tensively in Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Cambodia, South Korea, Indonesia, Borneo, and W. New Guinea.

She edited textbooks and wrote curriculum guidebooks for Seventh-day Adventist schools for 15 years.

She finished her career as associate director of education for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, where she was awarded the Medallion of Merit in 1978.

At that time Miss Young retired to Russell, where she became involved in helping to plan the bicentennial celebration for Pine Grove Township in 1995, and in assisting with the production of a published history of the area.

Many of the first graders whom she had taught during the early years of her career were living in Russell during her retirement. She was proud of each one, and during her advancing years, nothing pleased her more than news, visits, calls, or cards from any of them.

Miss Young had three nieces and a nephew: June Gleason Roys, Silver Spring, Md., Gay Gleason Mack, Adelphi, Md., Dell Gleason Bond, Hector, N.Y., and Gary Gleason, Silver Spring, Md.

A funeral service will be held at the Peterson-Blick Funeral Home, Inc., 1003 Penna. Ave. E. Warren, PA. 16365 at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 25, 2011, with Lynn Gatz, pastor, Seventh-day Adventist Church, officiating.

S O U R C E

[Jeannieb43]

Oh thank you for publishing this obituary! Ethel Young was a loving and lovable teacher at Sligo Elementary School (Takoma Park) when I was a student there. I think she taught my sister in fifth grade. But then, many years later [in the 1950s] I assisted her when she was writing textbooks for the SDA school system. This work was carried on at the General Conference Department of Education; she had an office there. I was the one designated to write to various copyright holders for permission to use their previously published materials.

Miss Young was a delightful person. Always smiling, never lost her "cool" with kids or adults.

Her sister, Mrs. Gleason, taught music in Takoma Park about that same time, I believe.

[Tom Wetmore]

I do believe I remember her visiting our little church school when I was a kid. I recall she had a big smile.

[Stan]

may all who follow us, find that we were as faithful as Ethel Lillian Young was.