George Marshall Young

1932 - 2016

George Marshall Young, beloved son, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, friend to many, and oilman, died peacefully at his home, surrounded by his loved ones, on Saturday, July 16, 2016. Service: A Service of Thanksgiving will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 23, 2016, at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 917 Lamar St. Interment: Private in Greenwood Memorial Park. Pallbearers: Michael Kendall Berry, Hugh Carter Burdette, Thomas Gary Cole Sr., Benjamin Johnson Fortson Jr., John Randolph French, Theodore Paul Gorski, William Prestridge Hallman, Rt. Rev. Sam Byron Hulsey, Dee Kelly Jr., Garland M. Lasater, Clyde Samuel McCall, John William McMackin, Paul Mazlansky, Joseph Jarrett Minton, Richard Wesley Moncrief, Arthur Foster Nelson, Richard Fleming Walsh, John H. Williams and J. Donovan Williamson. George's departed buddies, Sam Hay Berry, William W. Cowan, Dee J. Kelly Sr., Edwin Stripling Ryan, F. Howard Walsh Jr., and C. Dickie Williamson, are waiting at the 19th Hole. Memorials: Gifts may be made to The Endowment Fund for the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St., 76107, and will be deeply appreciated. George was born on Feb. 13, 1932, to Margaret Elizabeth Kelly Young and Marshall Roberts Young in Fort Worth, the third of five sons. The Young family lived in Breckenridge until his mother's death in 1936, when the Young family moved to Fort Worth's Westside. George attended North Hi Mount, W.C. Stripling, and boarded at Texas Country Day (now St. Marks in Dallas.) He graduated from Arlington Heights High School, where he excelled academically, and played quarterback and left linebacker for the Yellow Jackets, leading his team to second place in District 7 competition. George graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1954, with a B.S. in geology. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and was well-known for playing banjo with the Southern Collegiates band. He subsequently completed a management program at Emory University and studied ranch management at TCU. The summer after he graduated from college, while working for Marshall R. Young Drilling Company in Brookhaven, Miss., he met the love of his life, Diane Decell, on a blind date. George served the first of his two years in the U.S. Navy, returning to Mississippi to marry Diane on June 26, 1955. The couple moved to California, where George was based at Naval Base San Diego. He served on the destroyer U.S.S. Knapp in the Sea of Japan from 1955-1956. His first child, Marjorie Frances Young, was born in Fort Worth, and his next four children, Kelly Ann, George Marshall Jr., Sherman Stuart and Marshall Ralph, were born in Brookhaven between 1957-1963. George was employed in the family oil and gas business as a geologist, working tirelessly in the oil fields of Mississippi and Louisiana until he moved his family to Fort Worth in 1966. George took great pleasure in returning to his hometown and participated in many business, cultural and family affairs over the next 50 years. He served as vice president of Marshall R. Young Oil Company and was a member of AAPG and the Petroleum Club. He served as a trustee of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth for nearly 40 years, serving as president and chairman of the board. George was a director of the West Side State Bank, Texas American Bankshares, the Edna Gladney Home (now The Gladney Center) and Fort Worth Country Day School. He was a longtime director of the Southwest Exposition and Fat Stock Show, and a member of the Exchange Club, the Frog Club, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Shady Oaks Country Club, Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, Calif., and for 50 years, the Steeplechase Club and River Crest Country Club. George was a very accomplished oil and gas producer. He was involved in significant new field discovery and development across the South and Texas. His interests included playing golf with his many friends, collecting modern art and antiques, breeding Angus cattle, big game hunting and TCU sports teams. His friends and family enjoyed many hours with George singing, playing piano, guitar, ukulele and the banjo. He was a voracious reader and enjoyed over 1,000 books on his Kindle. He enjoyed travel, particularly with his family to Aspen, Colo., the South of France and Carmel, Calif. George was a gentleman in every sense of the word. He was warm, friendly, a patient listener, and always made people from all walks of life feel comfortable. Many will remember him as a kind, polite man who without fail, had a smile and greeting for others. He was a rare individual who never made an enemy. He will be greatly missed. The family wishes to extend deep gratitude to Dr. James Bohnsack; his special caregiver of many years, Rocio Torres; the devoted staff of Comfort Keepers and VITAS Hospice; his niece, Shannon Young Ray, for her love and support; and J. David Tracy for his invaluable assistance. George was preceded in death by his beloved parents; his stepmother, Frances Fry Young; and his four brothers, Marshall Roberts Young Jr., Carroll Ridgely Young, William Kelly Young, and Frank Graves Young. Survivors: George is survived by his wife of 61 years, Diane, and The Young Bunch: his children, Marjorie Frances Young Lilly and husband, Bob, Kelly Ann Young Ewin and husband, Christopher, George Marshall Young Jr. and wife, Linda, Sherman Stuart Young and wife, Amy, and Marshall Ralph Young and wife, Susan; his grandchildren, Elyse Lilly Cann and husband, Rob, Laura Slaughter Lilly, Lindsay Ann Bond Griffin and husband, R. Jay, Lauren Decell Bond Morgan and husband, Chad, Mary Marshall Dyess Smith and husband, Kyle, Caroline Kelly Dyess Crawford and husband, William, Diane Adair Ewin, Christina Ann Ewin, George Marshall Young III, Catherine Clay Young, Jordan Christopher Young, Sherman Stuart Young Jr., Carlson Elizabeth Young, and fiance, Isom Innis, Marshall Ralph Young Jr., and Susannah Griffin Young; his great-grandchildren, Lindsay Mattison Morgan, Emily Lea Morgan, Marshall Collier Morgan, Mary Wesley Smith, Annabelle Marshall Smith, Margaret Grace Smith, William Stanley Crawford Jr., Eloise Walker Crawford, Scotlyn Elyse Lilly, Quinton Charles Griffin, and Carlin Carrington Cann; nieces and nephews, Shannon Elise Young Ray and husband, Breck, Alison Adair Young Wright and husband, Clif, William Kelly Young Jr. and wife, Anne, Patrick Hunter Young and wife, Amy; nine grandnieces and grandnephews; one great-grandnephew on the way; and several cousins. George is also survived by the former employees of Marshall R. Young Oil Company, in Fort Worth, Albany and Midland.