Doris Young Obituary

Doris Jean (Gift) Young
January 13, 1931 - August 1, 2021
Orangevale, California - Doris Jean Young of Orangevale, CA left us on August 1, 2021 at the age of 90. Doris Gift was born in Richmond, CA in 1931. Her family moved to a farm in Napa when she was a young girl. She loved to play the saxophone in band class at Napa High School where she excelled in English and creative writing. After graduating high school in 1949, she continued her study of music and English at UC Berkeley. It was there that she met her husband-to-be, David Young, in the church choir. She postponed her college education to get married in 1951. The newlyweds spent four years on Oahu where David was stationed in the Navy. Upon returning to California, she worked as a draftsperson at Mare Island for several years.
In 1959, their daughter, Judy, was welcomed followed by a son, Paul, two years later. In 1962, the family moved to Petaluma, CA where her husband was beginning his career as Director of Public Works. One more son (Thomas) came along in 1964. In the decade of the 1960's, Doris was a full-time homemaker in addition to volunteering many hours in the local Methodist Church. She became an accomplished seamstress and sewed most of her own clothes and those of her daughter. She also enjoyed knitting, embroidery and working with stained glass. Many of her embroidery projects hang on the walls of her daughter's home. Her love of exploration and learning meant numerous trips to the tide pools of Bodega and Tomales Bays and the San Francisco Zoo. Her kids were on the local year-round competitive swim team and Doris spent many weekends at swim meets on their behalf. Doris also founded a vocal group for young girls called "Sugar-n-Spice" in addition to the adult musical group she belonged to called the "Super Heterodyne." She had a deep appreciation of music and filled her home with autoharps, mountain dulcimers, a ukulele, guitars, and a piano. Her instrument of choice was her voice (soprano).
By 1969, she decided it was time to finish her schooling and re-entered college at Sonoma State University. It was an enlightening experience for a 38 year-old mother of three to enter college culture in the late 1960's. She earned a BA in Music and an Elementary Teaching Credential. Doris commuted from Petaluma to Fairfield for three years where she taught third grade and used music and multi-sensory teaching strategies to enhance learning for her students. In 1977, the family moved to Fairfield and then later to Apache Junction, AZ where she also taught. In 1985, she and David moved to Folsom where she wrapped up her teaching career at Theodore Judah Elementary School teaching kindergarten. She retired in 1989 after the premature birth of her twin granddaughters. She loved being a grandma and devoted herself completely to "Allie" and "Cokie" from birth into adulthood.
In the early 2000's, she taught herself how to use a computer and at the age of 79 was managing the website for her women's church group with the Methodist Church. She also indulged her passion for photography and creative writing. One of the poem's she wrote in 1993 ended with, "When my journey ends in this life, I will sing. Praise the Lord from everlasting to everlasting." Her daughter read this poem to her the night before she passed.
Doris was preceded in death by her husband, David, and son, Paul. She is survived by her daughter, Judy (Carlos), son, Thomas and beloved granddaughters, Allison (Cook) Jackson and Colleen Cook. She is also survived by her sister, Edith, and by seven nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank the caregivers at Carlton Senior Living for the tender, loving care they provided for Doris over the past 18 months.
There will be a private double interment for David and Doris at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, CA. Donations in Doris's memory can be made to Habitat for Humanity.