CUSHING — Vera F. Chapman Young enjoyed life to the fullest with a sense of humor right up until her passing on October 14, 2021, one day prior to her 92nd birthday. The youngest and smallest of four children she outlived each of her siblings.

Throughout her life she carried with her a devilish smile and was voted the “most mischievous” in her high school senior class. She had fond memories of her high school trip to New York and going to the very top of the Statue of Liberty. After graduating Thomaston High School in 1948 she married William H. Young on May 14, 1949. They made their home in Thomaston briefly before moving to Cushing for the remainder of their years.

She was employed by New England Telephone Company in Thomaston as a telephone operator before her years of becoming a homemaker. Traveling and flying to Nantucket with her friend Eleanor Pendleton was always a highlight of her life. She later decided to become a personal care assistant and cared for people such as lawyers; insurance business owners; retired doctors and a retired New York Wall Street Executive, at various times. Also, during this time she loved looking after and visiting with her older siblings and would always be bringing them milkshakes and chocolates.

During her high school years, she was a beautiful singer and was encouraged to take solo lessons at the Thomaston Baptist Church with opportunities to sing to the congregation. Her love of music and entertaining led her to a group called the “Swinging Beavers,” which offered talent shows held at community grange halls and the VA Hospital in Augusta. She loved spending time with her family during the holidays and enjoyed making and selling wreaths with her sister-in-law, Sharon Glidden. In her spare time, she enjoyed sewing and knitting beautiful sweaters for her children and grandchildren.

After becoming a member of the Cushing Broad Cove Methodist Church, she served as Treasurer for seven years. Her strong faith saw her through various trying times. Church coffees, the lady’s sewing circle, along with water aerobics became a big part of her life. She was famous for her cooking, some specialties included Finnish bread, homemade pies, and biscuits to sell at the church fairs. She was also known as one of the “original pie cutters” at the annual bean hole suppers. While serving in the community she joined the Cushing Land & Conservation Board as a member for a few years also enjoyed being a Brownie and Girl Scout assistant leader with Marion Grover.

She lived life to the fullest. She enjoyed the outdoors, going on boating and fishing trips with her husband, Bill, as well as camping trips with her children, Gary, Ronnie  and Cindi, which included trips to New Hampshire and tenting out on Gay Island during the summer months. In the winter months her time was spent cross-country skiing, along with spending weekends in the northern woods snowmobiling with family and friends.

Up until four years ago she enjoyed meeting up with her classmates every month for lunch and catching up with them. She enjoyed reading books shared with her by her granddaughter Megan, who always kept her in books. She had many fond memories and stories of spending time with each grandchild whom she thought the world of: Tamatha and Tracy; Jason, Daryl and Brian, and Megan and Luke. She always held certain stories, close to her heart about each and every one of them and always looked forward to their visits and/or telephone calls. Her nieces and nephews meant the world to her, and she always looked forward to being with them at family functions.

Her love of being with her children and grandchildren was her number one passion with memories of gathering for conversations and cookouts. Her fondest memories were of spending every 4th of July with her family on Stone Island which was owned by her brother-in-law, Dennis Young, Sr. Later in life she was encouraged by her close friend, Ann Carney, to take up embroidery/cross-stitch and spent a lot of time with her niece, Debbie Chapman-Winchenbach who helped in guiding her through her stitches. After learning cross-stitching, she made pillowcases for each of her children and grandchildren. She always looked forward to weekly conversations on the telephone with Ann as well, sharing and discussing different recipes to make for the family. One of her daily highlights was receiving telephone calls from her 100-year-old friend, Alma Black, who would call her daily to check in on her to see how she was doing!

She enjoyed Sunday morning coffees with her family and sitting on the front porch of her log cabin, which she loved. The Cushing Community was a huge part of her life, and she was especially fond of her next-door neighbors, Richard Olson and Melinda Robinson, who kept a good eye on her daily, which the family will always be grateful for.

She was a beautiful, loving, and devoted mother to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, who always came first no matter what. Her children will always remember coming home from school and finding something home cooked on the counter for after school treats. Always very compassionate and empathetic with all whom she came in contact with, she looked forward to each and every new day with a smile on her face, ready to see what the day would bring.

Her true passion and therapy was being with family, friends, cooking and feeding whoever stopped by or if a neighbor was in need of some comfort food.

The family ask in Vera’s memory, to make a stop at Dorman’s to have a hot fudge sundae or a milkshake, eat a piece of chocolate and to always be kind to one another.

A celebration of life will be held in Vera’s memory in the spring or early summer of 2022.

Vera was predeceased by her husband, William Young; son, Gary Young; grandsons, Brian Young and Luke Staples, and great-granddaughter, Alexis Anderson.

She is survived by her son, Ronald L. Young and wife, Patty; daughter ,Cynthia (Young) Staples and husband, Daniel; grandchildren, Tamatha Young, Tracey Outerbridge and husband Josh; Megan Staples and partner Stephen Wilcox; Jason and Daryl Young; and step-grandson Todd Staples; great-grandchildren, Kevin, Emanuel and Isaiah, Lincoln and Louis; great-great grandchildren Ava, Maddie, Luca and Nolan, as well as many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either Broad Cove Community Church C/O Suzanne Young, 40 Youngs Way, Cushing, ME 04563 or Cushing Fire Department, C/O Cushing Town Office, 39 Cross Road, Cushing, ME 04563.

Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, Rockland.

To share a memory or story with Vera’s family, please visit their online Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.