Betty Lou Young

Betty Lou Black Kitchens Young went to be with her heavenly family on Sunday, June 30, 2024, while she was having her morning coffee at home.  

Betty Lou was born the baby of 3 children to Richard Allen Black and Jewell Mae Lee Black McDowell on January 13, 1940, in Marshall Texas. The family soon moved to Clute, Texas while her father was employed with Dow Chemical. She was in school April 16, 1947, the day of the Texas City explosion and said she remembered feeling the blast then all the mamas running down to check on the kids.

Her father was tragically killed in December of 1948 and family moved to Doyline, Louisiana to live with her mother’s family. Sometime after, Jewell met and married Alton Henry McDowell who lovingly raised Betty Lou, her brother, Richard Carl “Sonny” Black, Florence Black Wilson Alexander and later, Patricia Ann Wilson Killian Woodard.

Betty Lou graduated Doyline High School in 1958 where she made many close friendships that continued throughout her life. She was an excellent Basketball player and was even recruited by the All American Red Heads but she had met her high school sweetheart, Harold Kitchens, and they were married in November of 1958 until his accidental death in May of 1962.

Betty Lou vowed never to marry again until she met Marion Nelson Young and after a short courtship, they married on May 16, 1963 and were married for 54 years until his death in May of 2017. Their loving marriage, and sometimes loud because Nelson was hard of hearing in his later years, produced 3 children, Tammy Renea Young Luster, Gary Nelson Young, and Penni Kaye Young Garland. 

Betty Lou attended business school and enjoyed the accounting and booking part of it. She worked in retail early in her career at the old Broadmoor Drug Store in Shreveport. Then she went to work at Tri-State optical and learned to fit glasses. Upon leaving Tri-State, she worked for Dr. William Ward Hart, Sr., an Ear, Eye, Nose and Throat specialist and stayed with him at the old Medical Arts Building and the Jordan location until his retirement in the 1970s. After a few months of staying home with the girls, Dr. Timothy Mark Hart and Tandy McElwee were ready to open an OB/GYN practice is Bossier City. She thought she would help Dr. Hart and Dr. Mac get their practice up and going and then be a stay-at-home mom. The stay-at-home mom part did not happen. Over the years, Betty Lou became a Certified Medical Administrator and help set up many young doctors’ offices. So, in effect, she became the work mom not to just Dr. Hart and Dr. Mac, but to Dr. James DeGuerce, Dr. Leslie Dean, Dr. John Carter, Dr. Harvey Long and many others over the years.

Betty Lou finally officially retired in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s but still did some consulting work and began to travel with Nelson. They bought a fifth wheel and took off all over the country. They particularly enjoyed parking the RV in Homestead, Florida in the winter months and staying her Uncle, Floyd Lee and his wife, Marie. They would then come back up to St. Joe State Park and stay a while with her lifetime friend Francis and her husband Joe. Since Nelson’s passing, Betty Lou has enjoyed many adventures with her very close cousins Charlene and Drew Eason.

Preceded in death by her parents, Richard A. Black, Jewell Mae Lee Black McDowell, Alton Henry McDowell; Husbands, Harold Kitchens, Marion Nelson Young; Son, Gary Nelson Young; Sister, Florence Black Wilson Alexander; Brother, Richard Carl “Sonny” Black.

She is survived by her daughter, Tammy Renea Young Luster, (Husband, Joe Michael Luster), grandchildren, Harper Lou Luster, and Georgia Mae Luster. Daughter, Penni Kaye Young Garland; granddaughter, Jordan Leigh Garland Butler (husband Jake Ryan Butler); great-grandchildren Penelope Grace Butler and Eloise “Ellie” Grey Butler; Grandson, Christian Cole Garland and his fiance’ Caitlyn Cater; her church family at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church of Doyline, several special nieces, lots of great-nieces and nephews and several great-great nieces and nephews and lots and lots of cousins either related or not. They were all loved.

Mama loved God, her family, her lunch ladies, dancing at any opportunity, traveling, her friends and neighbors, and her cats. She loved her close cousins, Charlene and Drew Eason, and Sheldon Lee and enjoyed any mischief they could get into together. She loved her neighbors Beverly and Kendell Vining, Sonny Cox and Jeri McDowell. Special thanks Lynn Craig and Rusty Craig also for helping her out and helping to keep an eye on her.

If anything can be learned from Betty Lou’s life, is to have faith … faith in God, in yourself and others. Love with all your heart and to keep on smiling. 

Visitation for Betty Lou will be Saturday, July 6, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. at Rose Neath Funeral Home Chapel in Minden, Louisiana and her services celebrating her life will begin at 11:00 a.m. with Bro. Ed Smith officiating. 

Honorary pallbearers will be Buster Flowers, Joey Flowers, Kevin Flowers, and Sonny Cox.

In lieu of flowers donation may be made to Louisiana Baptist Childrens’ Home.