Elaine Young

Elaine Young
Washington, Utah

Dr. Elaine Young succumbed to her battle with ALS after a whirlwind six months on July 15th, 2025, in St. George, Utah. The mother of seven children, she is survived by Michael, Jeffrey, Wendy, Douglas, and Gregory and goes on to join her baby daughters, Cheral and Christy. She is also survived by her parents, Hal and Marie Hansen, and her husband, Larry.

Elaine was born at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ, on March 22, 1956. Her father’s Air Force career briefly brought her to England before returning to Utah, moving from Cedar City up to and then all-around Salt Lake and the Wasatch Range throughout her formative years. It was here that Elaine found her love for genealogy and math, along with learning much of her lifelong hobbies of sewing and quilting.

Elaine and Larry met at Larry’s return missionary house in Cedar City, Utah, on the campus of Southern University State College. They married at the Salt Lake City temple 49 years and 11 months ago, and had a deep love for one another through adventures and hardships all across the northern hemisphere as she joined Larry through a 22 year US Air Force career, and her own path to obtaining a BS in Mathematics, an MA in Math Education, an MS in Mathematics, and a PhD in Math Education across half a dozen universities. Aside from raising her children, during this time Elaine also loved Scouting, especially her time as the Eagle Scout Board Chairman, approving Eagle Scout Awards to deserving young men. She also served in Primary, Young Women, Relief Society (as a Stake Relief President), and in the Seminary and Institute program with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Finally, she started teaching math at the University of Oklahoma, where she would stay for seven years before Larry retired and they both went on to teach at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. After a 10-year career culminating in her becoming the Dean of Mathematics Education, Elaine retired and she and Larry moved to St. George, Utah.

Along with her penchant for sewing, quilting, and reading, Elaine was an invaluable resource in the world of genealogy and research, with her inbox filling up to this day with requests for aid with the details of the lives of World War II soldiers and of occupants of the ghost town of Silver Reef, both of which she would tirelessly research and write biographies on. She spent much of her retirement volunteering, from working at thrift stores dedicated to the common good, to serving in the temple laundry and helping in the baptismal area at the St George pioneer temple, all the way to her and Larry’s multiple missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aiding single adults in London, England, and providing military relations in San Diego, California.

Elaine was fiercely intelligent, while remaining both pious and humble. She was self-driven toward every goal and achievement in her life and had a joking remark and a smile every day, up to her last.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, July 30, 2025 at 10:00 am in the Silver Stone Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel; 1080 W Arlington St, Washington, UT, where Elaine was a steadfast member of the Silver Stone Ward. There will be a viewing prior to services from 9:00 - 9:45 am at the church. Interment will be in the Richfield Cemetery. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti. Online guestbook www.maglebymortuary.com