Martha Elizabeth Young
Martha Elizabeth Young, of Shepherdstown, passed away peacefully on Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Hospice of the Panhandle, due to complications from pancreatic cancer. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend and neighbor.
She was born on Feb. 26, 1937, and grew up in the small coal mining town of Greensboro, located in southwestern Pennsylvania. Martha was the youngest of seven children born to Lena and John Kridle. Her parents instilled in her a passion for learning, teaching and a curiosity for the world around her.
After high school, Martha attended and graduated in 1957 from California State Teachers College (now California University of Pennsylvania). While at college, she met her future husband, Jack Young. The two were married on Dec. 26, 1957 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. By then, Jack had joined the Navy and the newly married couple would spend the next 24 years traveling throughout the United States and to one foreign country, Japan. During their Navy life, they also added three children to the family Beth was born in Hawaii; Richard in California; and Jack W. in Virginia.
Following Jack’s retirement from the Navy in 1980, they settled in the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. area, where Martha resumed her teaching career. She taught kindergarten for over twenty years in the Manassas City School District. She was a celebrated teacher, being selected as the Manassas Teacher of the Year in 1996. Much sought after by parents for their children’s instruction, Martha touched the lives of hundreds of families during her teaching tenure.
After her retirement in 1999, Jack and Martha moved to Shepherdstown, where Martha quickly became involved in a wide range of community activities, including the First In Your Family initiative; Shepherdstown Area Independent Living, Historic Shepherdstown Docent, Visitor’s Center and the Shepherd University Lifelong Learning Program. Martha was also an avid bridge player and book club enthusiast. She was an active member of the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church.
Martha is survived by her immediate family husband Jack in Shepherdstown; daughter Beth Young and her husband, Daniel Pickard and granddaughter Loren Pickard, of Seattle, Washington; son Richard Young, wife Kelly and grandson Mason, of Shepherdstown; and son Jack W. Young, wife Carol and grandson Jack Jr., of San Antonio, Texas. She is also survived by her sister, Lois A. Hlavac, of Oakmont, Pennsylvania; and brother, Robert M. Kridle, of Biloxi, Mississippi.
In addition to her parents, Martha was preceded in death by four brothers Leo Kridle, Bernard Kridle, Charles Kridle, and William Kridle.
A Memorial Service for Martha will be held on Jan. 5 at 2 p.m., at the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. Bill Sitterley officiating.
An additional Celebration of Life for Martha will be scheduled in the springtime when the flowers will be blooming!
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Shepherdstown Area Independent Living at P.O. Box 2091, Shepherdstown WV 25443, or to Hospice of the Panhandle at 330 Hospice Way, Kearneysville, WV 25130.