Alva Mae Young, 89, passed away Wednesday July 24, 2024, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House. Alva was born April 25, 1935, in Bay Village to the late John Daniel Culbreath and Emma Vada Arbuckle Culbreath.
Alva worked on the farm as a child, like many did in her generation, as a sharecropper. She continued sharecropping when she married until she and her husband decided to strive for a better life and moved to St. Louis, MO. She was happy to be out of the cotton patch. After many years in the St. Louis area, they moved back to her Bay Village home community. In later years, they moved to Truman to be near their great-grandchildren and enjoyed many years making new friends in their community.
Throughout her life, she dedicated herself to serving God. She taught Sunday school for 40 years, served as a Sunday school secretary and served on a team that brought Bible lessons to shut-ins. She also served as a church leader and children’s Missionette leader.
She loved to be with family and enjoyed family reunions with extended family throughout the years. She enjoyed writing stories and poems about her life, reading and playing games.
She was preceded in death by her son Barry Dwayne Young, and her brothers, Paul , Allan, Lonnie, and Billy Culbreath, and her sisters, Allene Culbreath, Mattie Rhodes, and Joan Campbell.
Alva is survived by her husband of 72 years, Robert Young; son, Bobby (Theresa) Young; grandchildren, Ashley (Chris) Tobin, Amber (Matt) Holt, B.J. (Tiffany) Young, Jennifer Hoskins, and Ricky Hoskins; and great-grandchildren, River Holt, Rykar Holt, Caden Frear, Hunter Chisholm, Alex Strebler, Luke Strebler, and Tyler Hoskins.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to her special friend, Alene Nix, for all she did for Alva during her extended illness, along with her church family, Total Life Family, and all the wonderful medical staff in the St. Bernard Medical Center system.
A celebration of her life will be at 11 AM Tueday at Gregg-Langford-Bookout Funeral Home Chapel with the Revs. Anthony Patterson and Mark Bishop officiating. The family will receive friends at 10 AM before the service at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Pine Log Cemetery.
Honored to serve as pallbearers are Eddie Culbreath, Matt Holt, Chris Tobin, Darrel White, Mike Phillips, and Dwayne Green. Honorary pallbearers are the Elders Sunday School Class of Healing Hands Community Church.