Frances Young

December 2, 1925 - January 26, 2017

Frances Jeanne Hunter Young passed quietly at home in Provo on January 26, 2017 at 12:04pm of natural causes. She was born the second daughter to George Alonzo Hunter and Cecilia Pearl Hunter on December 2, 1925 in Richfield, Sevier Co., Utah. At the time of her death she was 91. Having played in a small baby orchestra under the direction of Mr. Johannes (John) Gotthilf Hilgendorff, Frances learned at the age of 4 how to play the violin well. After 2 years of practice, she had performed in church and community programs, astounding all who heard her. She and Bethel Sylvester were invited with John Hilgendorff to perform at the Hollywood Baby Orchestra where because of the girls’ performance, Hilgendorff was offered a contract to teach. He turned it down and returned to Richfield to start his own baby orchestra which included the two girls. Hilgendorff advertised in the Richfield Reaper in 1932 and had responses from all over the country. Because of these early experiences in Hilgendorff’s baby orchestra, Frances would later join the Utah Symphony and perform well with the violin section for over 25 years. Frances later said of John Hilgendorff, “I am sure no one other person has had such a great influence and impact on my life as did John G. Hilgendorff.” Enrolling in Richfield elementary school in 1932, Frances did exceptionally well throughout her entire grade school experience. She also loved church as her sister Mildred often took her to Sunday meetings and read the scriptures with her. In September of 1934, she was baptized and confirmed a member of the Richfield 4th Ward, Sevier Stake. In 1937 at the age of 12, Frances auditioned for KSL’s “Search for Talent” and came in second place receiving a $3.00 reward. At the age of 13, Frances was in a pageant where she was a queen, rode in a parade and sang a solo to a large audience. On 26 May 1944, she graduated from Richfield High School with a straight “A” average. After High School, she attended BYU, where she graduated in 1948 with honors holding a BA in Music and a minor in Spanish. Following the example of her sister Mildred, Frances wanted to serve a mission. She was called and entered the Great Lakes Mission in 1949. She completed her mission in 1951 and was honorably released. Her future husband, Joseph H. Young, during her last day in the mission, sat at the opposite end of the mission home living room and asked her if he could write to her. She said that would be “fine”. Frances returned to BYU where she completed courses for a teaching degree. Joseph returned from his mission and started courses in Architecture at the U of U, but kept his interest socially with Frances at BYU. On February 14, 1952, Joseph proposed and Frances agreed to marriage in the SLC Temple on the 19th of June 1952. While she was playing with the Utah Symphony, Frances and Joseph lived on 122 Second Avenue in downtown Salt Lake City. Their first child Randy was born there. After Joseph graduated, he used his architectural expertise to design a home at 1770 Holladay Blvd. where they maintained residence for over 45 years. In 1979 Joseph and Frances were called to be mission presidents of the Ohio Cleveland Mission which included Kirtland. Frances learned to double and triple recipes she had previously made as the missionaries loved her cooking. When they returned from Ohio in 1982, Frances was called to be Relief Society President of the Valley View 9th Ward. Whenever special musical numbers were performed, Frances was usually called on to accompany them, as her musical nature was not limited to the violin. She also served as ward organist for many years. Frances and Joseph served an Inner City Mission in downtown SLC and learned to love the people of that area. In December of 2011, Joseph and Frances moved from their Holladay home to Provo to be closer to family at the 152 E 4620 N address where she last dwelt. They have made many friends in their new ward and found wonderful people in their area. Frances always had a love for BYU sports, and particularly enjoyed it when they would win by a large amount. She loved sports, and played tennis well, and knew all of the major players in the international competitions. She learned to water ski, snow ski, ride mopeds, and was generally very adept in playing those sports. Lake Tahoe was one of her favorite places, where she enjoyed the company of many of her symphony friends and families. She is preceded in death by her sister Mildred Hunter McBeth; her father and mother (before mentioned), and is survived by husband Joseph H. Young; sons J. Randal Young and Ronald J. Young, daughter Margaret Young Tueller; eleven grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren. Her gentle manner and cordial smile will be greatly missed. The funeral for Frances Jeanne Hunter Young will be Saturday February 4 at 11:00am in the Edgemont 9th Ward building located at 4300 N Canyon Rd, Provo. A closed casket visitation for friends and family will precede the funeral from 9:00am to 10:30am at the church. A Graveside service will be at 2:30pm at Wasatch Lawn Memorial at 3401 S Highland Drive, Salt Lake City. Funeral Directors: Utah Valley Mortuary. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.uvfuneral.com.