Seth "Sonny" Young

Seth Mooring Young, 91, of Houston, went home to be with Jesus his Lord and Savior on Monday, August 21, 2023.
“Sonny,” as he was called since boyhood by family and friends, was a simple, humble, kind, patient, hard-working man who leaves a wonderful legacy.  He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, neighbor and man of faith. Sonny counted his family as his richest blessing from the Lord.  His family grew from three children to 11 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and counting.  Rare is the man more deeply loved by his family than Sonny. He knew no end to reading, playing, holding, talking, helping, and hosting each one.
Born in Eureka, Texas on June 7, 1932, Sonny was the last of five children born to Helen and Loyd Young.  He learned sign language from his deaf mother before she died when he was seven. Raised by his father and grandmother in Oak Cliff, an old neighborhood in south Dallas, he learned hard work at a young age, working at the Ben Franklin variety store putting bikes and wagons together and throwing the Dallas Times Herald newspaper on his bike.  He once traded his oldest brother, Red, his bike for Red’s 22/410 rifle when Red needed a bike for his own child.  
After Sunset High School, he joined the US Navy and was assigned to work on airplanes and was lucky enough to be stationed in Hawaii and Las Vegas. He rushed through North Texas State University in 2-1/2 years to marry his college sweetheart, a pretty girl from Fort Worth, Ann Winslow. One of the funny things Sonny encountered while dating Ann was that the family dog was also named Sonny.  
When the Winslow family mentioned Sonny, the question was always “the dog or Ann’s boyfriend?” In 1957, Sonny purchased an engagement ring but wasn’t 100% sure his marriage proposal to Ann would be accepted.  But his goo-goo smile and charm worked, and worked well, as Sonny and Ann recently celebrated 65 years of marriage.
In their early years of marriage, Sonny’s job required moves across West Texas, but they settled in Southside Place in Houston in 1966 with three young children - Laura, Allan, and Andy. Southside Place proved to be an idyllic neighborhood with its own park, swimming pool, clubhouse, and fire department.
Sonny thoroughly enjoyed being a very involved community servant, and he wore many local hats, including Mayor, City Councilman, Fire Chief (and grill master for his fellow volunteer firemen), Park Board, City Council, Men’s Club President, Little League Coach and City Manager.  Sonny and Ann made many lifelong dear friends in their community.  Sonny had to keep up with all of Ann’s social commitments but enjoyed the many parties and get-togethers with their friends.
Sonny was incredibly involved in his children’s lives until the end of his life. He knew and loved his children’s friends and welcomed them all into his home.  Sonny was a handyman and mechanic extraordinaire, never hiring out a job or repair on house or car if there was a way he could do it himself. This included installing central air and heat at 3735 Carlon and fixing hundreds of bicycles, cars, and appliances over the years.
Sonny loved simple family vacations to the Comal River in New Braunfels, camping, and the beach. He bought a lot on Galveston’s West End, building (and rebuilding) a vacation home with his family’s help to include wiring, plumbing, sheet rock, cabinets, and painting. He loved time there more than almost anywhere. He spent his work career in the oilfield supply and food sorting machine industries before finally serving as city manager of Southside Place.
Sonny is survived by his wife, Ann Young; daughter, Laura Kaspar and husband Doug of Shiner; sons, Allan Young and wife Renee of Fredericksburg, and Andy Young and wife Veronica of Greenville, SC; sister, Julia Lollar; and sister-in-law, Martha Winslow Stroube and husband Bill; grandchildren Christopher Kaspar, Kyle Kaspar, Rebecca Young Mitchell, Seth Young, Lance Young, Julia Young, Mark Young, Amy Young, Stephen Young, Will Young and Mary Kate Young Scott; great-grandchildren, Eliana Kaspar, Vivian Kaspar, Piper Kaspar, Mabel Kaspar, August Kaspar, Penn Young, and Judson Scott.
Sonny will be deeply missed by all his family and friends who loved him dearly and in whom Sonny found his greatest earthly joy.
Family and friends are cordially invited to a memorial service to celebrate Sonny’s life at The Church of St. John the Divine Chapel in Houston on Monday, September 18 at 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of South Texas, the Salvation Army, the Church of St. John the Divine, or a charity of your choice.