John Harold Young

John Harold Young, of Greensboro, Georgia, went to be with his Lord on August 8, 2008. He was born on March 28, 1923 in Walton County Georgia to Mr. Thomas Ganaway Young and Mrs. Ethel Pearl Norris Young. He is survived by his wife of sixty years, Mrs. Barbara Louise Underwood Young, sons Mike Young and wife Julie Young of Watkinsville, Georgia, Greg Young and wife Cindy Young of Madison, Georgia, Jeff Young and wife Debra Young of Monroe, Georgia; sisters, Dorothy Deaton and Pearl Deaton; grandchildren, Shane Young, Jason and Jaimie Young, Katie and Josh Miller, Matthew Dickens, Kimberly and David Leach, Travis and Crystal Young, Lucy E. Young, Jessy Mae Young, Colt Young, Bryan and Holly Young, Nikki and Bradley Janes, Michele and Tommy Thrailkill, Brian Dodson and Ashleigh and Justin McCormack; great grandchildren, Cody and Tanna Young, Shyann Miller and Kaj Miller, Daniel Young, Jaden Janes, Mikaela Thrailkill and Xander Thrailkill; and a host of other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his siblings, Violet Barber, Tommy Lee Young, Ozella Barber, Nannie Mae Young, Earla Peters, Jack Young and Billy Young.

Mr. Young was raised on a sharecropper farm. He left school after the 5th grade to assist his father and siblings in working the farm. He served his beloved country with distinction in both theaters during World War II returning home in 1946. He married Barbara Louise Underwood in 1948 and started a small farm in Social Circle, Georgia. In 1951 Mr. Young moved his family to Atlanta, Georgia to work at General Motors, Fisher Body Plant in Lakewood. In 1953 Mr. Young began working for International Paper Company. He served that company faithfully in a career that spanned 4 decades. He started as a maintenance worker but quickly rose through the ranks working in sales traveling first around the Southeast selling products to small family dairies and then traveling around the United States as a special accounts manager selling products which he helped to design and develop. During this time Mr. Young advanced due to an outstanding work ethic and desire to constantly upgrade his education.

Throughout his life Mr. Young served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher, first at Cleveland Avenue Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia and then, after retirement at First Baptist Church of Greensboro, Georgia. He especially enjoyed working with children in the church''s AWANA program. Mr. Young served as the President on many occasions for organizations such as the Southeast Atlanta Athletic Association and the Walter F. George High School PTA.

John never met a stranger and enjoyed talking to others swapping war stories and other interesting tales. Mr. Young enjoyed hunting and fishing and had a genuine love for nature which he instilled in his children and grandchildren, teaching them the importance of being good stewards of Georgia''s wildlife.

Funeral Services will be held Monday, August 11, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Greensboro with Rev. Michael Hardy and Rev. Colin Duncan officiating. Graveside Services with full military honors will be held at 2:00 p.m. at Hill Haven Memory Gardens in Monroe, GA. The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday night at the funeral home. McCommons Funeral Home, 109 W. Broad St., Greensboro, GA, (706) 453-2626, is in charge of arrangements. Visit us at www.mccommonsfuneralhome.com to sign the online guest register.

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