A funeral will be held Monday, December 19, 2022 for 93-year-old Kenneth Robert Young of Perryville, Missouri, who passed away at 6:20 a.m., Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at Perry County Memorial Hospital, Perryville, Missouri.
Kenneth Robert Young was born August 23, 1929 in Buffalo, New York, to Arthur C. Young and Viola Schmitt Young. He was their third child. The others were Arthur F., Alice Ruth and twins Edith and Harvey. His father died in May of 1935 and his mother took the family to St. Louis where they lived with her parents, Otto F. and Clara Schmitt.
Kenneth graduated from Garfield Grade School in 1942 and from Roosevelt High School in 1946. He graduated from Washington U. in 1950 with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. However, he had switched from Science to Social Work and then into the ministry. So he attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis from 1950 to 1955. While doing that he put two more years into Social Work study at Washington U. and received a Master’s degree in 1954.
On June 3 of 1955 he graduated from Concordia Seminary and two weeks later married Mildred Meier. Mildred was called out of this life to be with the Lord on September 10, 2017. He accepted a call to become Pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and served there until September of 1957. Alice Rae and Kenneth II were born in Charleston.
Kenneth was installed as Pastor of Ebenezer Lutheran Church in inner city Chicago on October 6, 1957. The Youngs were the only white family on their block. The west side Lawndale community was mostly African-Americans. Son Stuart was born in 1960. Ebenezer tripled in size, changed from mostly white to mostly black and reopened its day school during the next eleven years.
On October 10, 1968 Ken was installed as Missionary at Large for Urban Affairs for the Northern Illinois District of the Lutheran Church – MO Synod. Next he was installed on May 23, 1971 as Executive for Program – Missions and Social Ministry for the N.I.D., an Assistant to the President. His emphasis was on urban missions while overseeing the work of Chaplains, Deaconesses, Deaf, Blind, and Developmentally Challenged ministries, and congregational social ministries.
During their years in Chicago and then suburban Oak Park two more Youngs were born: Tom and Lois.
Ken served the District from 1968 until 1995. In October of 1995 Ken and Mil retired and moved to Chester, Illinois. Here he helped out at St. John Lutheran Church for two years and then for eight years he served as part time Mission Assistant to President Herb Mueller of the Southern Illinois District. The couple moved to Perryville, Missouri in March of 2015.
Ken always enjoyed writing. In later years he wrote eight books: A Stone of Help in Chicago, Schaller-Schmitt-Young-Mahnken-Meier (notes on family history), Jesus (40 meditations on the names and titles of Jesus), Learnings from My Life to Yours, More Learnings from My Life to yours, My Memories of Our Marriage, Fear Not, for I am with You, and Give Thanks to the Lord.
Survivors: five children: Alice Decker of Chester, Ill., Ken (Blanca) Young of Austin, Tex., Stuart (Karen) Young of Lisle, Ill., Tom (Rika) Young of Minneapolis, Minn. and Lois (Andrew) Cortell of Montgomery, Ala.; 10 grandchildren: Nathan Decker, Nicole (Dan) Boeder, Adam Decker, Daniel (Cassandra) Young, Christine (Matthew) Medcalf, Kati Young, Alex Young, Sarah Young, Greta Young and Zoe Cortell; two great grandchildren: Digory Boeder and Skye Boeder and a brother-in-law: Albert Meier of Denham Springs, Louis.
He was preceded in death by: his parents, his wife, four siblings and a son-in-law: Neal Decker
Visitation will be 2-4 p.m. Sunday, at the Pechacek Funeral Home in Chester and 9-10 a.m. Monday, at the St. John Lutheran Church in Chester, Illinois.
A funeral for 93-year-old Kenneth Robert Young of Perryville will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, December 19, 2022 at the Pechacek Funeral Homes, Chester, Illinois. The Rev. Timothy Sims will officiate.
Interment will be in the St. John Lutheran Cemetery in Chester, Illinois
Memorials may be made to Lead A Child.org or to St. John Lutheran Church.