Joyce Mae Duplissey Young, 96, Orange

Joyce Mae Duplissey Young went to her heavenly home on August 20, 2021 at 96 years of age. She was surrounded by family in her home. Joy was preceded in death by her parents Richard and Mattie Duplissey, her husband Louis David Young Jr., her son David Scott Young, her siblings Willie Phanor Duplissey, Dimple Annie Dalton, Inez Memphis Hearn, Carl Otis Duplissey, Percy Aubrey Duplissey, Jearl Genevieve Grayson, Helen Ruth Willis, and Billie Jean Lyles Malone. In her words… I was born on December 22, 1924, in McNary, Louisiana, in an old house off a gravel road with the hum of the passing train and with the help of a woman with birthing skills.I am the sixth child of nine born to Momma and Daddy. Growing up, Momma taught us to care for one another. She set up the buddy system where each of the elder siblings had a younger sibling for which they were responsible. My buddy was my older sister Dimple. We walked 2.5 miles to a one-room school that educated children in grades 1-11. At noon time, us kids would gather under the big oak tree to share the one lunch Momma would send with the oldest girl. Our lunch most often consisted of biscuits and potted meat. I grew up during the Great Depression and came of age during World War II. I am so proud to be part of the Greatest Generation. My family was very poor. Daddy hauled pea gravel and sand which he loaded and unloaded by hand. When I was 12, tragedy struck the Duplissey family when my Daddy died. He was crossing the road and was struck by a car--actually one of the first cars in Lecompte. Daddy had no life insurance, but the business that owned the truck that struck him had a $3,000 insurance policy that was paid to Momma. With that money, she purchased the gravel truck, paid the hospital bills, and bought the house she would remain in for many years. My brother Carl quit school and ran the business to provide enough income for us to survive the depression and beyond. All of us kids that still lived at home worked when we could and contributed to the family income. All nine children graduated from Lecompte High School except Carl. During my high school years, I participated and did pretty well in the performing arts as a member of the Glee Club. I received awards for competitive singing solos, Girls Trio, and won first place at the Central Louisiana Rally for mixed quartet in 1940. I was the student body president, a member of the Homemakers of America where I fell in love with designing and sewing garments. This skill would prove to be very valuable to me later in life.I had a part time job after school at Southern Bell Telephone Company. When I graduated from high school, I began full time work at Southern Bell. Through my work with the telephone company, I traveled to many places I had never had the opportunity to visit. I lucked out when Southern Bell offered me a job as a telephone operator at Camp Claiborne, a U.S. Army military camp during World War II located in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana. The camp was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Eighth Service Command. I met L. D. through my brother Carl who had taken me to the Amateur Talent Show to compete. Carl’s friend introduced L. D. to me that night, and we became friends. L. D. was soon called to active duty in the Navy and our friendship continued through the lost art of letter writing. We eventually quit writing and lost touch with one another until we ran into one another at a bus station a few years later. L. D. walked over with his father and introduced me to his father. We courted for a few months and then married on September 7, 1946. We started our life together in Texas where L. D. was employed by Texaco. In 1950 we moved to 635 Young Drive where we lived for 71 years. We raised all of our children in this little house with a big yard. Everytime I looked up, your Daddy was planting more trees--and they are so big and beautiful today. My time was spent cooking and sewing. I took pride in knowing that my daughters wore the finest dresses you never saw in any store. If you wanted a dress that I could not find a pattern for, I would design and create a pattern for it. I made all of your clothes, formals, costumes, etc., as well as my own clothes. I also designed and made the cheerleading uniforms for the cheer teams. I loved and looked forward to supporting y’all in whatever it was that you were involved in at school, church, or after school jobs. It gave me a break from the sewing machine. I laughed with you and I cried with you. I loved my church and my Lord. L. D. and I worked hard to pass on our values to you by walking with Christ and living his Word, to make sure y’all had a personal relationship with the Lord and knew right from wrong, and by spreading the Word of God through mission building every summer down in the Valley. I was not a modern mom, I didn’t work outside the home. You kids were my job. Only after y’all were grown did I take a job at The Village Squire and later accompanied your Daddy to work with Hamilton Stores in Yellowstone National Park for sixteen summers, but that was for the pure joy of living a few months in cooler weather and to enjoy God’s beautiful work in the park. Joy leaves behind five daughters Brenda Boudreaux, Sheri Alford and husband Randy, Peggy Ealand and husband Rick, Kim Spinks and husband Wayne, and Lisa Faulk, fourteen grandchildren and twenty-six great grandchildren. Thank you to Elite Home Health and Amedisys Hospice for their excellent and loving care of our Mom over the past few years. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Mom’s church of over 70 years, First Baptist Church, 200 W Round Bunch Road, Bridge City, TX 77611.