She loved to talk and spend time with others

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She loved to talk and spend time with others

By Gerry Hostetler – November 21, 2011

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Eddie Louise Govan Young and son, Wilmer, on Mother's Day 2011. (Photo: Courtesy of the Young family.)
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She may have been all about helping “old people,” but she took younger ones under her wing as well. And whether it was getting you to a doctor’s appointment or helping you bait a hook, she did it with a willing heart.

Eddie Louise Govan Young of Charlotte died Oct. 28, 2011 of cancer. She had an extra “d” in her name, but everyone just pronounced it “Edie.” She was born in Cope, S.C., and was the last of six siblings.

She was known as one who always reached out to touch or uplift someone every day and was a very special person. She will continue to live for many years to come in the hearts of those who knew and loved her, her family said.

“Her mother died when she was 12,” said her son, Wilmer Young. “She was raised by her father, a traveling bridge builder who ended up in Charlotte. When he left for Manteo, she stayed in Charlotte and went to night school.”

Eddie’s first job was at the old Domestic Laundry at McDowell and Stonewall streets. After an early marriage and divorce, she worked 20 years for Fruehauf Trailers and retired to Edwin Towers.

“She was an avid bingo player,” said grandson Terry Young. “She played at Mooresville or Rock Hill every chance she got. She had pretty good luck and made a lot of friends with the regular players at bingo halls.”

Prepared for anything

“She taught me to fish when I was 7 or 8,” Terry said. “One time, I cast my rod in the water and fell in. There was no one there but me and her, and she came in the lake and got me. There was no panic; she thought it was greatly amusing. She didn’t get scared, and nothing seemed to surprise her. She appeared to be prepared for anything.

“She was an all-around great person who lived a full life. I heard stories about when she was young and she saw a lot, did a lot and experienced a lot of things,” her grandson said.

Eddie’s home was her second home, said goddaughter Phyllis Tyson, who had known her for 32 years. “She loved people, she was a talker and a very outgoing person. She never remarried but she got asked and came close.”

Eddie loved living at Edwin Towers and, when Phyllis suggested moving to a newer home, Eddie said, “I can’t leave the old people.”

“She attended every housing authority meeting,” said Zenobia Cureton, then the property manager at Edwin Towers. “She always expressed herself.”

Eddie frequently offered to drive other residents wherever they needed to go. She did that so often that it got to be a paid position. She also drove young people in Boulevard Homes to places like karate classes. “She talked with them, gave them history, gave them advice and gave them encouragement, Zenobia said.

Traveling seniors

Eddie and Zenobia planned cruises and outings for the seniors. Their final trip was as recent as October 5 -- a civil rights tour on which they visited Medgar Evers’ home and the bombed Birmingham church where four black girls died in 1963.

Eddie was interested in the Civil Rights Movement and had been active when she was young, Zenobia said. “She told of going downtown in her pink dress and getting arrested.”

There were trips to Hawaii, Charleston and Canada, and one is planned to Honduras, Belize and Mexico in January. “I promised I would continue,” Zenobia said.

And we know that Eddie’s smiling spirit won’t need a passport for this one.

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Editor's note: This is our series called Lives That Matter. Written by Charlotte writer Gerry Hostetler, this weekly feature will profile individuals, recently deceased, who had a positive impact on those around them. Email editor@qcitymetro.com.