Johnny Walter Young, age 81, husband of Mattie Cobb Young, and a resident of Columbia, Tennessee, passed away on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.
Born on August 3, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, Johnny was the son of the late Thomas Walter Young and the late Lula Anna Elmore Young.
In the words of his little brother, Bobby, Johnny W. Young was one lucky son of a gun. He was born during WWII to a GI dad and a mother who roared in the twenties. At that time, it took a village to bring up a flock of 8 kids, so Aunt Bert and Uncle John moved from Louisville to a 150 acre farm in Hodgenville, Kentucky to raise Johnny, Bobby, Sissy, Corky, Tutti, Deanie, Jake and Leroy. They didn’t have much, but they had it all. It was a close-knit community of colorful friends and neighbors, a little white church, a one-room school, and out-houses. It was the era of singing cowboys like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, of square dancing and country jamborees.
At the age of 6 Johnny gave his first performance at the Lincoln Jamboree, standing on Coke bottle crates to reach the mic. He sang Hank Williams’ Lovesick Blues. Aunt Bert bought Johnny his first guitar and taught him how to play his first song, Blues Stay Away From Me. It must have been a prophesy of sorts because Johnny never had the blues a day in his life. By 14 he was playing in his brother Leroy’s band, featured on radio and tv shows in Bowling Green.
In his 20’s Johnny lucked out again. He met Mattie Ruth Cobb who hailed from Appalachia. She majored in home economics and was the winner of the Crisco cooking award at her mountain high school. She was singing with her brother, Charles, at a local jamboree when Johnny stole her as a singing partner. They had a ball together. In 1968 they tied the knot in Spring Field, Tennessee with his brother Bobby and his wife, Cathy, as witnesses. They were headed for the Grand Old Opry. Johnny frequented the Opry Show with his Aunt Bert and wife, Mattie. In the 60’s he played the Midnight Jamboree at the Earnest Tubb record shop. He rubbed elbows with Opry stars, who would pour into Tootsie’s and the Midnight Jamboree.
Johnny and Mattie were adventurous. In their GTO they hit Route 66 in St. Louis and drove across the country to California to see Johnny’s Dad. They would take that trip twice. By the 70’s Johnny and Mattie had 3 kids together, Jeff, Joey, and Melissa. They raised their kids with a love of nature, fishing, and country music. They visited every State and National Park, creek or waterfall they could find.
In 1984 they packed their family in a two-toned green pick-up truck with a camper and moved to Florida. The Kentuckians settled in nicely to the land of beaches, clear rivers and jungles. The kids were raised among alligators, manatees and popcorn-eating seagulls. Johnny would sit on the front porch swing playing his guitar, singing songs and telling wild stories about growing up on the farm with Aunt Bert and Uncle John. He worked physically hard every day in the Florida heat building up his own business, making friends wherever he went. He never had a bad day, and every day was an adventure. He was strong as an ox. He could use a chainsaw like no one else and never found a set-out he didn’t like. Everything was funny, or he would make it that way.
In the 90’s, Johnny would embark on his greatest life’s work. He became a grandpa. Kaitlyn, Monica, Madison, JJ, Morgan and Meredith became his little best friends. He lived to see them and play silly games with them. He was the best grandpa in the world. He took them to the little store and shared his favorite snacks of lizard juice, Pringles, and Nutty Buddies with them. He taught them to sing like Aunt Bert and Lula had taught him. He helped raise them, picked them up from school, took them fishing in Mr. Dugger’s Pond, and always had cash on hand to dole out to them.
In 2016, his oldest granddaughter would give him the ultimate gift. She and husband Gabe gave him a great granddaughter, Meghan and later a great grandson, Parker. It was a joy to have little ones again to hold and play with. Another generation to hear stories of Aunt Bert and Uncle John, sing songs, wade in creeks and carry on his shoulders. They helped him celebrate his 80th birthday.
In 2011, Johnny and Mattie left Florida and retired to Tennessee. He loved it here. He raised a huge garden, gathered walnuts and watched the squirrels play. He baited Mattie’s hook and hung on her every word until he couldn’t anymore. Johnny had a simple faith in God, influenced by Pastor Vaughn in that little white church and the transformation he saw in his Uncle John.
He wasn’t much for attending church himself, but you could often hear him singing I’ll Fly Away or I Saw the Light. In his later years he would tell us that he talked with God every day.
At the moment of Johnny’s passing, heaven was alive with singing at the reunion of Johnny, Bobby, Lula, Tom, Bert, John, Leroy, Tutti, Deanie, and Jake. They’re dancing, singing, telling lies, laughing, playing jokes on each other…and guitars are a strummin’ When the Roll is Called Up Yonder I’ll Be There.
Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his siblings, Leroy Martin, Geraldine Pilkerton, Zelma Fultz, Jake Walker, and Thomas Young.
A Farewell Party will be held Saturday, July 20th, 4:30 pm at The Goldman Ranch, Hampshire, TN. Johnny will be laid to rest in Cobb Cemetery, Woolum, Kentucky.
