Naomi L. Young

On Tuesday, October 13, 2020, Naomi (Boyd) Young passed away at the age of 93.  

Naomi was born to Hollis and Nellie (Stewart) Boyd on August 8, 1927 in Drain, Oregon, the fourth of five girls.  While in high school during the war, Naomi met a sailor home on leave.  She and Charles Young were married on January 4, 1945, during Naomi’s senior year.  They settled in Coos Bay, OR, with a few years spent in Eugene and Ashland, and raised four children:  Kathy, Janet, Tim and Amy.  She was widowed in 1983, when Charles died too young in a workplace accident.

In 1987, Naomi moved from Coos Bay to the Portland area, where three of her four children were living.  She recently relocated back to Coos Bay to live with her son, Tim, and his wife, Barbara, who lovingly cared for her in her final weeks of life.  

With 21 years separating the birth of her first and last child, she had children in public schools for over 30 years.  During that time, she attended countless school activities, such as track meets, games, dance team, etc through those years. She didn’t stop being her kids biggest fan as they grew into adults with their own families.  She remained a huge advocate for her eleven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.  

While in high school, Naomi sang with Marshfield’s Sextet singers in recognition of her musical skills.  She continued singing as an adult: many years as a member of the Sweet Adelines barbershop group, Little Theater on The Bay performances in North Bend, and primarily in the church choirs at Faith Lutheran in North Bend and Our Savior’s Lutheran in Lake Oswego.  

In addition to singing at her churches, she was a very active member of both congregations, from being on the Church Board, to participating in Steven’s Ministry to organizing the hospitality at many funerals.  During her last seven years, while at Riverwood Assisted Living in Tualatin, she attended services led by Pastor Dan Zike.  He and his family were very dear to Naomi, and they traveled to visit her in the last days of her life.

Naomi loved to travel.  She visited Europe several times with friends and enjoyed visiting family in Alaska, Hawaii and the east coast of the US.

She also displayed strong community spirit and involvement throughout her life.  As an election poll worker in Coos County for many years, she showed her children, in a concrete way, the importance of voting and civic involvement.  When she moved to the Portland area, she spent years volunteering for the Lake Oswego Library.

She had many hobbies, including cooking, gardening, crossword puzzles, and she rarely missed an episode of Jeopardy, often calling out the questions before the contestants.  

Remembrances in honor of Naomi can be made to South Coast Hospice (Coos Bay), Oregon Public Broadcasting or the Old Paths Historic Baptist Church.  A gathering of family and friends and remembrance of Naomi’s life will be held when current restrictions allow.

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