Obituary of Florence D. Young

Florence Dolores (Peanut) Hylton Young was born on September 23, 1940 in the Bronx to Gladys Mae McPherson and Charles Bancroft Hylton. She lived there until she was seven years old. The family moved to Long Island and became one of the early settlers of Gordon Heights. She attended school in Port Jefferson. In her formative years, she was very athletic playing all sports in High School, participating in the Gordon Heights Drum & Bugle Corp as a drummer and majorette, and later played third base for the GH Sportettes. She did a bit of "nursing" before joining and ultimately retiring from the US Postal Service where she greeted customers for over 30 years at the Coram Post Office. She was also the Postal AFL-CIO Rep for her colleagues. Post retirement, she worked for the Town of Brookhaven highway department. Her last position there was at the ecology center where she loved giving children tours of the animals & gardens at the site. She also was a poll worker assisting voters during all elections and was a member of the Brookhaven Rosa Parks Democratic Association. Dolores followed in her mother's footsteps and remained actively involved in the Gordon Heights community that she loved. Always wanting to help where help was needed, she joined the Gordon Heights Fire Dept. where she served in various roles such as Fire Personnel, First Aid /EMS, Secretary, Treasurer, & Fire Police. Dolores was the Quartermaster, registration committee, and concession stand volunteer, for the Gordon Heights Knights sports program, Co-Founder of the Knights of the Purple Haze, and served as Secretary, President, and teller for the Gordon Heights Federal Credit Union. She was the recipient of too many awards, certificates of appreciation, and proclamations to mention for her devoted dedication to the community & volunteer services. As a 40-year cancer survivor, she joined the Witness Project and became a member of the Sister Circle for breast cancer survivors. She participated in many walk-a-thons supporting the cause for progress toward medical advancements in breast cancer prevention, treatment, and cure. Peanut enjoyed life to the fullest. She was an avid bowler. She volunteered as captain & coordinator of the "East Coast Family" leading up to 10 teams of her women bowling friends and family from New York to Florida to attend the annual National Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC/ABC) tournaments. Dolores loved traveling with friends and family and the opportunity to travel to a different state every year for the bowling tournament. She was honored as a 25+ year bowler participant award recipient at the national WIBC tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. Anyone who knew her knows she loved to dance. She was always the last one on the dance floor. She loved to play cards; an expert Whist & Spades player who everyone wanted as a partner. She enjoyed her lottery scratch offs and was the luckiest person at the casino. Dolores attended her mother's church, St. Cuthbert's Episcopal Church, for many years where she served and gave her life to Christ. She later joined St. Mary AME Zion in 2000, where she served as President of the Usher Board and the Director of Usher Board for the LI District, on the Trustee Board, missionary society member, and for a time worked as a Class Leader Assistant. Her favorite hymns are "In the Garden" and "One Day at a Time Sweet Jesus". Her favorite passage is the Lord's Prayer. Dolores often tells the story about how she wanted to be a police officer and not have any children; yet somehow married a police officer and had six children. That is the beauty of life when we say, not my will but Thy will be done. God works it out for His Glory. We thank her for yielding her heart to our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ so that we and countless others were able to experience His love through her. She is survived by her former husband of 35 years: Wallace Young Sr.; her six children: Nadine Witherspoon (Ben), Cheryl Walker (Eddie preceded in death), Cynthia Manning (Darryl), Wallace Young Jr., Tanya Dozier (Richard), and Heather Berry (James), her sister Yvonne Rivers, (her other siblings Charles, Elmer (Clifton), Bernalcy, Edmund, and Victor preceded her in death) and sisters-in-love, Anna (Margie) and Edith preceded her in death, brother-in-love Tony, 12 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and a village of nieces, nephews, cousins, & many close friends. The life celebration will be held on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, at Mangano Family Funeral Home, 640 Middle Country Road, Middle Island, NY 11953. For the health and saftey of all, visitation hours will be available for an extended period of time from 10:00am until 6:00pm on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, to minimize the risk of COVID19 pandemic and allow for social distancing. The celebration of life service will be limited to immediate family and all other beloved family and friends are welcome to attend via Zoom from 7:00pm - 9:00pm (Please contact Mangano Family Funeral Home for the link). In lieu of flowers the family is requesting donations be made in her memory to Gordon Heights Fire Department Scholarship Fund, Gordon Heights, NY, St. Mary AME Zion Building Fund Tree Leaf, Gordon Heights, NY, and the Witness Project for Breast Cancer, Long Island, NY.