Joan E. Youngdale, 91, of 66 Platt St., Hornell, passed away
peacefully at her home, following a lengthy illness. Born in Utica, NY on
September 24, 1928, she was the daughter of William & Dorothy (Colmus)
Carroll.
Joan grew up in Utica where she attended Blessed Sacrament
Catholic School and was a graduate of Utica Free Academy High School with High
Honors in 1943. Following High School
graduation, she was employed for several years at a New York State Dairy Lab,
testing milk and milk products from farms and milk processing companies. She held a NYS certification and license as
a Dairy Lab Technician.
For over 10 years, Joan worked as an insurance code
inspector for Utica Mutual Insurance Company.
After getting married she accepted a position from 1972 to 1979 as a
reading aide for special needs students attending the Utica School System. After moving to Hornell in the summer of
1979, she began working for the Hornell City School System as a library clerk
at Columbian School and then for Hornell High School retiring in 2001 having
provided 22 years of service. Joan
enjoyed talking with children that she had directly worked with as
kindergarteners now seeing them as high school students.
Joan was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Parish and a
communicant of St. Ann’s Church. While
living in Utica, she was a member of Gamma Chi Sorority of Utica, an organization
which gave nursing scholarships and other opportunities to well deserving,
underprivileged young ladies in the 1950's.
Joan enjoyed many outdoor activities throughout the
years. She especially enjoyed
camping. Whether in a tent or a tent
camper she didn't care. She loved the
Adirondacks and New York State Parks camping in most but finally settling on
Sacandaga Lake at Moffitt's Beach as her favorite camping spot. In her earlier years you would find Joan on a
Saturday night at one of the many square or round dances in the Utica
area. She also loved being at hockey
games where you could “yell as loud as you wanted to and no one around you
cared”. She regularly visited dude ranches
in the Adirondacks horseback riding, hiking and swimming. She traveled the United States extensively in
her youth, traveling with the Young Women’s Christian Association. Several favorite trips were Yosemite, Grand
Canyon, San Francisco, Boston, Washington D.C., and New York City. Joan was an avid reader who preferred non-fiction
historical books. She enjoyed
gardening, picnicking and held a special fondness for really good food.
Joan was married to her one and only love, Charles “Charlie”
Youngdale on January 23, 1960 at Our Lady of Lourdes in Utica, N.Y. Charlie died March 9, 2005. She was also preceded in death by her sister
Norma Clarke, her brother William “Bill” Carroll, Jr.
Surviving are 2 daughters, Joanne (Glenn) Schrager of
Oakland Park, FL and Carroll Clark of Hornell; her son-in-law, Gary Clark of
West Almond; 1 sister, Nancy Burns of Utica, NY; several nieces & nephews.
The family of Joan E. Youngdale will receive friends on
Wednesday from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM at the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St.,
Hornell, NY. A Memorial Service will be
celebrated at the conclusion of calling hours at 6:00 p.m. Deacon Robert
McCormick officiating. Final interment
in Woodlawn Cemetery, Canisteo, NY.
Joan’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial
contributions in her name be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, PO Box 1000
– Dept. 300, Memphis, TN 38148. Memorial forms will be available at the Dagon
Funeral Home.
