Heather Young

Heather Marie Wayne Young, 53
CRESTWOOD


Heather Marie Wayne Young lived a life defined by authenticity, generosity, humor and deep compassion for others. She believed strongly in seeing others' perspectives and lived by the idea that being your authentic self gives others permission to do the same. Because she wasn't able to physically do many things to help her family in the last part of her life, being a part of writing her own obituary before she passed was a gift she hoped would take that burden off her family at the time of her passing. ALS may have taken away Heather's ability to walk, talk, eat, and do other small miracles that we often take for granted, but it could not diminish her kindness and humor, which remained fully intact, nor her characteristics of bravery and wisdom, which only grew after her diagnosis.
Heather, nicknamed "Pooh" by her parents, was born on August 2, 1972, in Louisville, Ky. She graduated from Moore High School in 1990 and obtained a business degree from Sullivan University. Heather enjoyed a vibrant career in various roles in her twenties, but her most cherished roles in life were yet to come. Heather married Matt in 2003, and despite being told she may never be able to have children, she became the proud and devoted mother of two daughters, Ada Rhian, born in 2007 and Drew Elise, whom Heather welcomed at age 40. Nothing in Heather's life made her prouder than her girls.
She said Ada's birth made her realize that she wanted a career where she could spend more time with her, so when Ada was just six months old, Heather started nursing school, which led her to her most treasured vocation. From 2017 until May of 2024, Heather served as "Nurse Young" at South Oldham High School. To students and staff alike, her office was far more than a nurse's station-it was a warm, safe and welcoming space. She kept extra clothes, hygiene items, snacks and most importantly, compassion on hand for anyone who walked through her door. Heather wanted to be there for her girls when they came through those halls and she made a lasting impact on countless lives-young and old-along the way.
One former student described walking into Nurse Young's office for a Band-Aid and walking out feeling healed, loved, counseled and ready to tackle life as it came. A colleague described Heather as "a partner to me in dealing with so many students with anxiety-loving but always believing the kids could overcome whatever they were up against. I truly learned so much as a counselor from working with her."
Another colleague described the unique bond she developed with one particular student with autism. This student did not speak much but managed to always ask to see Nurse Young. Heather would take time out of her day to take this student's blood pressure and temperature, pronounce her "healthy," and spend time making her feel "seen." That was one of the things Heather did best: making others feel seen.
Months after retiring, Heather came back to visit various staff and students, and she showed some of the students with disabilities who spoke through devices that she now spoke through a device, too. That one student who loved her so much was confused by Heather's wheelchair and sat on the floor near her beloved Nurse Young but would not go to her. Heather recognized this, so she got out of her wheelchair-with help-and got on the floor with that student. The student immediately embraced her Nurse Young. Neither spoke. They didn't need to.
Heather's kindness, sensitivity, and sense of humor have always had a way of disarming others, even in life's hardest moments. It was this, among so many other qualities, that drew people to Heather. Heather said she was blessed to have friends who spanned all eras of her life-high school, her twenties, work friends, dance moms, and neighbors who became more like family were among this lucky group. Various friends, when asked to describe Heather, remarked that she was brave, beautiful, magnetic-an example of how to live well and an example of how to die that same way. One friend said Heather was truly "one of the greats."
Heather found joy in reading, shopping and crafting and joked that she felt guilty leaving behind so many unused craft supplies for her family to deal with. Heather cherished her large extended Wayne, Newton, and Young families and treasured the moments they spent together. She shared a special bond with her big brother, Robert Allen Wayne, Jr. (Roby), the smartest person she knew, who always looked out for her, even when she "didn't deserve it." She also shared a tight bond with her dad, who passed away when Heather was just 24 years old. Heather proclaimed herself a "Daddy's girl" and described him as laid-back, extremely hardworking, endlessly generous and completely nonjudgmental qualities her mother often said Heather shared with him.
Faith became an increasingly important part of Heather's life. Baptized as a baby, Heather had grown closer to God in recent years and was baptized, alongside her friend Kristi, in the ocean at Indian Rocks Beach, Fla., on Aug. 30, 2025, during a girls' trip with some of her cherished friends. That experience brought her peace and deepened her faith.
When asked about her ALS diagnosis, Heather said, "I think my diagnosis and impending death have reminded me and other people to appreciate the time we have on earth together and, I hope, to love one another more." When asked if she was afraid to die, she said she wasn't, especially since growing closer to God. She said she stayed on Earth as long as she did for her daughters. Her greatest fear was not death itself but leaving her girls behind to navigate all the seasons yet to come. One life lesson Heather hoped to impart to her daughters was this: You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to do everything right. Failing is part of life. It's how you respond to failure that shapes who you are becoming, and do not be afraid to ask for help.
Heather had many people waiting for her in heaven, but she was most excited to be reunited with her dad, Robert Allen Wayne, whom she hadn't seen for 29 years.
Heather's favorite quote was from Winnie the Pooh: "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." Those left behind-who made saying goodbye so hard-include her two beautiful daughters, Ada Rhian and Drew Elise Young; her husband, Matt; her mother, Donna Newton Wayne; her brother, Robert Allen Wayne, Jr. (Shane); her nephews, Dylan Hamlin, Brandon, Bricent, and Kian Wayne; her parents-in-law, Ralph and Marsha Young; her sister-in-law, Jenny Young; her nephews, Luke and George Digenis; along with a wide circle of friends, neighbors, former coworkers, students, dance moms and lifelong friends from every era of her life.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Stoess Funeral Home, 6534 West Highway 22 in Crestwood. Visitation will be held from 3-7 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to Farmers Bank of Milton, 2207 South Highway 53/P.O. Box 47, La Grange, KY 40031, in the name of Heather M. Young (in care of Robert Wayne), for the sole benefit of Ada Rhian and Drew Elise Young.