Ruth Ann Young

Ruth Ann Young was born to Mable Eve Shaffer and Merril Wilson Jones on October 28, 1931 in Wenatchee, Washington. She left this life in the early hours of January 28, 2023 surrounded by her loving family in Corvallis, Oregon. Ruth Ann enjoyed a wonderful life. She was an eternal optimist who found beauty in everyone and everything around her. Her radiant smile lit up any room. She grew up with her three younger sisters -- Marilyn, Barbara, and Virginia -- in a warm and musical environment. Ruth Ann did well academically and won scholastic and character awards in junior high and high school. In her senior year at high school, she was crowned a Wenatchee Apple Blossom Princess. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and after high school, she attended Brigham Young University. While at BYU, she met J Lowell Young, whom she married on September 15, 1950. She and Lowell made homes in Provo, Utah; Columbus, Ohio; and finally, in Corvallis, Oregon, where they raised their four children. Ruth Ann completed B.S. and M.Ed. degrees at Oregon State University. For 27 years, she blessed the lives of Corvallis children as a dedicated first and third grade teacher. After retirement, she and Lowell continued actively expanding their minds, attending Elderhostels and Academy for Lifelong Learning seminars throughout the world. The Youngs found immense joy in their grandchildren and great-grandchildren and also enriched their lives with many exciting learning opportunities. Ruth Ann enjoyed interacting with all living things, including people, animals and plants. She never met a stranger and loved growing fruits, vegetables, and flowers of every kind. She also loved music, lending her beautiful soprano voice to the Corvallis Town Choir for many years and her considerable talent as a pianist and organist to church congregations and choirs. She was also active in Delta Kappa Gamma and was a member of the OSU Folk Club, volunteering for decades at the club’s local thrift shop. Ruth Ann will be deeply missed by her family and friends, who will always remember her optimistic attitude, love of children and nature and, of course, her incredible smile. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lowell, daughter Colene, and sisters Marilyn and Barbara. She is survived by son Gordon Young (Jeanne), daughter LoAnn Baker (Karl), daughter Kathryn Arnold (Mike), son-in-law Tom McCormick, sister Virginia Smith (Lynn), and brother-in-law Grant Bigelow. She will also be dearly missed by her 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

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Ruth Ann Young

October 28, 1931 - January 28, 2023