Shawn Adam Young
“I will not offer to God that which has cost me nothing.” – II Samuel 24:24
Shawn Adam Young was born September 4, 1961, in Cushing, Oklahoma to John V. and Dru Young. The Young family lived in Dallas in 1963, where Shawn’s father became a team member of the United Press International’s prize-winning coverage of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. They moved to Kansas City in 1964, where Shawn’s sister, Sabrina, was born. The Young family settled in Sapulpa in 1966.
Shawn graduated from Sapulpa High School in 1979. He then joined the workforce with various companies, including First Data Corporation, USAA, and most recently Airgas, where he was a Data Standard Specialist.
Shawn married the love of his life, Rhonda (Carner) Young in 1986, and they were blessed with four sons, John Caleb, Seth Adam, Simon Joseph and Luke Matthew.
Having been involved in church music for most of his life, at age 30 Shawn felt God’s call to vocational Christian service. He believed that any leader in worship should be well prepared spiritually, musically and physically for service. He chose to continue his education and completed credit hours toward an associate degree, as well as private voice instruction at Tulsa University. While maintaining his full-time job, he served as part time Minister/Director of Music at Sunrise Baptist Church, Kellyville; Ridgeway Baptist Church, Sapulpa; Southside Baptist, Glenpool; and First Baptist, Kiefer.
In his early years, Shawn enjoyed a variety of activities from softball to opera. Strength, fitness and agility are required for both. He formed life-long friendships on the softball field and was the one you wanted to see covering first base, unless you were on the opposing team. He later enjoyed making the calls as umpire, becoming the one you wanted to see at home plate.
Shawn’s musical abilities were honed through church, school, private voice lessons and community theater. He performed with Tulsa Opera Chorus for three years, which pleased his mother greatly, as she also sang with the group. In recent years, he enjoyed being a member of the Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, especially when his son, Luke, joined the group.
The Young family musical gene is strong, as evidenced by the December 2023 Sapulpa High School (and alumni) performance of Handel’s Messiah with Shawn, Caleb, Seth, Simon and Luke all in a row. Few things brought Shawn more joy than being with Rhonda and “the boys”. This includes watching the Kansas City Chiefs or the Sapulpa Chiefs; spouting sports stats or listing obscure team mascots; celebrating birthdays or the 4th of July; observing old Christmas traditions and creating new ones; wrestling, wrestling and more wrestling. As Shawn and Rhonda welcomed Brenna, Sydney, Katie and Linley followed by Wren Aster and Nora Dru, being with Rhonda and “the girls” was his delight.
If you were fortunate enough to know Shawn Young, you know these two things are true…he lived for his family, and his memory was his superpower. Shawn’s faith in Christ was steadfast. This allowed him to lead, encourage, nurture, challenge and champion those he loved. He was kind, trustworthy, strong, smart and funny. And we are better because we knew him.
He is survived by his wife, Rhonda; sons Caleb (Brenna) Young, Seth (Sydney) Young, Simon (Katie) Young all of Sapulpa and Luke (Linley) Young of Norman; granddaughters Wren Aster and Nora Dru Young; parents, John V. and Dru Young of Sapulpa; sister, Sabrina (Lane) Davis of Oklahoma City; nephew, Austin Davis of Edmond; aunt, Marcia Lee Bolton of Fort Worth, Texas; cousins, Cathy Hildebrand, Anita, Janette, Neil, Stephen, Sara Beth, Rick, Dianna, Debbie, Barbie, Melissa, Belinda, Dan and Stephanie; mother-in-law, Karen Crabaugh; father-in-law, Herb Carner.
Visitation will be 6-8pm, Thursday, November 21, 2024, at Traditions Funeral Chapel in Kellyville. Services will be 2pm, Friday, November 22, 2024, at Faith Baptist Church in Sapulpa. Arrangements are under the direction of Traditions Funeral Home in Kellyville.
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