Barbara Jo Lawrence Young

Barbara Jo Lawrence Young, 89, died on July 11th after a long illness. Barbara was born in Houston on June 25th, 1926, the only child of Joe and Louise Fowler Lawrence. She attended college in Amarillo, came home, and married Walter Young, who preceded her in death. They had one child, Walter Young, Jr., who was the apple of her eye. She was involved in every aspect of his life, often chaperoning debate trips out of town. He graduated from Wharton High School in 1967 but died in 1979 of complications from juvenile diabetes. Barbara worked in the bookkeeping department at Caney Valley Hospital and at Wharton Bank & Trust before becoming a mother. She was an avid member of The Garden Club and worked tirelessly for the Republican Party of Wharton County. Barbara was deeply interested in Texas history all of her life and was proud to be published in "The New Handbook of Texas." She and her husband took many road trips across Texas to see the historic courthouses, which fascinated them both. It was her interest in historic Texas courthouses that led her into the mission of her later life. She became involved in 1998 with the small group that was trying to get the Wharton County Courthouse restored back to its historic 1889 state. She was doggedly determined to get Texas Historical Commission funding to restore our courthouse and spent years working with county judges, making trips to Austin to speak to the Texas Historical Commission, and using her fierce intellect and fearless nature to ultimately bring her vision to fruition. She has been described by those she worked with as instrumental to the success of the courthouse restoration. Every generation that enjoys the beautiful courthouse we have today owes a debt of gratitude to Barbara Young for her personal commitment to the project. A memorial remembering Barbara’s life will be held in the future. Friends wishing to make memorial gifts in Barbara’s honor may send them to the Wharton County Courthouse Restoration/Preservation, Inc., P. O. Box 47, Wharton, or the Wharton County Historical Museum, 3615 N. Richmond Road, Wharton. Funeral services under the direction of Wharton Funeral home. Condolences may be left at www.whartonfuneralhome.com