His wife is ‘my friend, my hero, my everything’

Jerry Young with his son, Jarred.

“My wife and I just had our 25th anniversary. We’ve been through a heck of a lot together. 

“She lost both sons from her previous marriage. Blake, he was murdered in 1992. He was tied up and stabbed 42 times with a kitchen knife. Ross, he died of a heart attack in 2011. And Jo Ellen, she had a stroke in 2007.

“She worked in food service for Goose Creek schools for 33 years. One morning when she was at work real early, she started feeling bad and then fell to the floor. There was not a soul around, so she tried to crawl to a phone to call 911. About that time, her boss walked in and then the assistant principal showed up, and they rushed her to the hospital.

“It was a major stroke. She has left side neglect, to where she doesn’t look to the left at all. She doesn’t have any use of her left arm, but she is able to walk with a cane. 

“She’s well known in Baytown. Everywhere we go, somebody knows her. The older kids, the ones who graduated from Lee High School, they recognize her and always say hi. 

“To have gone through so many traumatic things in her life and to be able to survive like she has, my wife is an amazing person. I consider her my friend, my hero, my everything.”

— Jerry Young