Obituary of Betty Grace Younkins

Betty Grace Younkins, a long-time resident of South Bellmore, died at her current home in Amity Harbor on March 17th, 2017. She was 91 years old. Betty was born on January 28, 1926 in South Fork, Pennsylvania, a town surrounded by the beautiful Allegheny Mountains, near Pittsburgh. On June 7, 1947, she married William (Bill) Younkins, also of South Fork. Betty and Bill’s romance began when Bill wrote to her when he was a young G.I. deployed in the Pacific Theatre in World War II and he asked Betty, his best friend Frank’s sister, if she would like to correspond with him. She said yes but separately told her mother that she loved her maiden name, Mapstone, so much she was unsure if she could ever give it up to get married. Bill soon fell in love and found himself absent-mindedly writing Betty’s name in the sand with a stick on a beach in Leyte, Philippines, where he was stationed. Within 18 months of Bill’s safe return from the war, the couple married and shared a life for almost 70 years. The newly married couple moved to New York to attend college. In 1954, they relocated to Bellmore where Bill became minister of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church on Alder Road. Betty, an accomplished musician, played the piano at church services. Together they served the church for more than four decades with a special emphasis on youth ministry. Betty also worked as a legal secretary for twelve years for the Supervisor of the Town of Hempstead. Upon their retirement, Betty and Bill moved to their current home in Amity Harbor. Unfortunately, their house was flooded by Hurricane Sandy and they were forced to move. With the dedication of their children and the kindness of friends and charities, the house was restored and elevated for their permanent return by the end of 2015. In addition to her love of music, Betty was a life-long lover of words and an enthusiast of any kind of word game. She also loved to spend time with her beloved family, and was devoted to enriching the intellectual, cultural and spiritual lives of her children and grandchildren, who made her proud with their respective achievements in law, government, academia, athletics, the fine arts, music, film, theater, science, and social work. And, most importantly, she was proud of her family’s devotion to one another, evident during holidays and birthdays when the Younkins household would often turn into a family songfest. Betty Grace is survived by her husband, William, as well as by her five children: Ronald, Jayne, James, Kathy and Susan; seven grandchildren, Erin, Caitlin, Lauren, Kate, Susan Grace, George and Alexander; and one great-grandson, Richard Willoughby. She is also survived by two of her six brothers, Ronald and Jay Mapstone. A memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of Babylon, on March 25, at 11am