Frances Gardner Young

Frances Gardner Young, 97 years old, passed away on Saturday, March 23, in Georgetown, Texas. Frances was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Marvin Kendall Young, Jr., and daughter, Ruth Young. She is survived by her daughter, Kathy Butler (Don), son Kendall Young (Carol), grandchildren Karen Young (Gabriel Bennett), Julie Fletcher (Mitchell), Claire Young, and Gregory Young, and great-grandchildren Alex Fletcher and Adaline Fletcher, as well as many close friends and loved ones.

Frances was born in Hamlin, Texas, on February 22, 1927 and was the youngest of six children. She met her husband, Kendall, while they both attended McMurry University. Kendall and Frances married June 21, 1947, and relocated to Austin where Frances earned her B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Austin. Frances and Kendall built a family together and Kendall’s career as a chemist took them to Texas, Michigan, Illinois, and back to Texas. Frances leveraged her education and organizational acumen in many ways. Frances typed and produced Kendall’s two dissertations. In Chicago, Frances administered a non-profit serving the incarcerated with education / development programs.

In 1991, Frances and Kendall moved to Georgetown, Texas. The couple was very active in the community of Georgetown. They were founding members of  Wellspring Methodist Church, and Frances served as a volunteer in the Georgetown Visitors center for a number of years. Frances was a great appreciator of arts and culture. She was passionate about politics and community involvement. Together, Frances and Kendall enjoyed bird watching, visiting the courthouses of the state of Texas and rooting for the UT football and basketball teams. Their 75+ year marriage was such an inspiration to others, and their story was covered in the Williamson County Sun.

Frances will be remembered for her love and devotion to her family. She had a knack of making everyone she met feel special, remembering the smallest details about them. She had an excellent sense of humor and made friends everywhere she went. Her loss is felt deeply by her family, friends, and the communities of Georgetown, Texas and The Wesleyan.

A memorial service for Frances will be held on June 17, 2023, at 11 a.m., at The Wesleyan Independent Living, 210 White Heron Drive. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: The Wesleyan online at 
https://thewesleyan.org/give or by mail at The Wesleyan, P.O. Box 486, Georgetown, TX 78627, or to Wellspring UMC, P.O. Box 1969, Georgetown, Texas, 78627 or by visiting https://wellumc.org/giving/contributions.