Hazel Pauline Young

Hazel Pauline Young, better known as Polly, ascended the stairway to Heaven, at her home on Thursday, April 11, 2019, at age 82. Her death was unexpected and peaceful while she was busy conducting her day to day life’s activities until the very last minute of her life.

Funeral services were held on Sunday, April 14, 2019 in the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel, with Chaplain Jon Honea officiating. Burial followed in Union Cemetery (Freestone County.)

Pallbearers were Jason Black, Carl “Sonny” Young, Raymond Latham, Chris Young, Jess Higgins, Larry Terrell, and Stephen Young. David Burkeen was an honorary pallbearer.

Polly was born June 18, 1936 to Carl Romalice Young and Julia Irene (Lummus) Young in the Fair Oaks Community (Thief Neck.) She grew up there and graduated from Fair Oaks High School.

After school, Polly worked in Mexia at the Futorian Furniture Factory in the cutting department. When that business closed, she worked with her Dad and brother Turk baling hay in the summers, and all the other daily work involved with the home and farm. She later worked awhile at Vogel Sewing Factory and as a seamstress at the Mexia State School, making clothing for the residents there. After eighteen years she retired.

Polly, though retired, stayed busy. She had been the matriarch of the family after her parents had passed away, and played an important role in the lives of each member. Although she had no children of her own, she helped raise her nieces and nephews, and later took care of her parents. She was the second mama to many of the family. She was the person they wanted to go talk to if they were happy and had good news, or if sad or had problems. She never told them what to do, but they would leave feeling better about their problems after talking with her.

Polly was good humored and nobody (except possibly her own mother) enjoyed a laugh better than she did. She teased the kids in the family. All her brothers and sisters except Red had at some point in time lived in the house with her. When Wanda’s husband passed away, Polly moved in with her for two years to give her comfort and support. She liked having all the family gather at her Mom’s house or later at Charlene’s house next door for Christmas.

At some time in her younger years she was a member of a bowling league in Mexia. She was creative and enjoyed crafts, making Barbie doll clothes for the children, ceramics, doing puzzles (crossword, word search and jigsaw puzzles), and reading her daily devotional, “Jesus Calling.” She would call others to share some of the special messages she read. She was a Christian and a wonderful part of the family to each member of the Young descendents. She stayed active until her last breath. One of her final activities in her spare time was coloring in an “adult coloring book” and the picture she was working on was a “staircase to Heaven.”

Polly was preceded in death by her parents; brothers and sisters, Arnold Young, Mildred Aline Burkeen, Wanda Latham, Carl D. “Turk” Young, Cecil “Butch” Young, Kenneth “Buster” Young, Gene Young; brothers-in-law, Wilburne Black and Raymond Bartley Latham; and many other dear members of her family.

She is survived by her sister, Charlene Black of Personville; and numerous nieces and nephews and other family.

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