John Austin Young, a dedicated son, husband, father, and grandfather whose life spanned military service, farming, and genealogical research, lived a rich and fulfilling life, according to Ardoin’s Funeral Home.
Growing up in Basile, John cultivated deep friendships that endured for decades, many shared with his cousins and members of the Basile High School 1950 6-Man State Championship football team. After graduating from high school and attending SLI (ULL), he married his high school sweetheart, Lula Marie Young. The couple shared 66 years of marriage before her passing.
John’s commitment to his country defined much of his early adulthood. He served over twenty years in the military, initially driving a tank in the National Guard before transitioning to the U.S. Army as an electronics specialist on the Nike Missile System. His service took him across the globe, with postings in New Jersey, Alabama, Alaska, New Mexico, Texas, Okinawa, Panama, and Korea, allowing him to embrace diverse cultures while maintaining strong ties to his Louisiana roots.
Following his military retirement, John embarked on a second career as a farmer. He and his wife established Grand-Père Farm in 1976 on inherited family land, naming the homestead in honor of his grandfather, Thomas Young. Over the decades, the couple improved the property by planting more than 100 trees.
Beyond farming, John pursued a remarkably diverse array of interests. Known as a Renaissance man by those closest to him, his hobbies included reading, gold panning, stamp collecting, jewelry making, photography—including developing his own prints—and woodworking, which involved carving signs and building farm structures. In the 1980s, he turned his analytical eye toward genealogy, researching and editing comprehensive family histories such as The LeJeunes of Acadia and The Youngs of Southwest Louisiana. He also served as president of the Evangeline Genealogical and Historical Society and edited its newsletter, La Voix des Prairies.
On the carved sign at the entrance of Grand-Père Farm, John honored his grandfather by calling him “un homme honnête,” an honest man—a sentiment friends and family readily applied to John himself.
John is survived by his daughters Cathy Young Zion and husband Harvey of Macon, Georgia; Mona Young Redlich and husband Lowell of Eunice, Louisiana; Tina Young-Redlich and husband Lyle of Eunice, Louisiana; and his son, John Austin Young, Jr., and wife Miho of Champaign, Illinois. He also leaves behind numerous grandchildren, fifteen great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Lula; his daughter, Laurice Young; his parents, (Joseph) Austin Young and Alida Rider Young; and his brother, Herman “Nookie” Young.
The family has requested that memorial contributions be made in John’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Visitation will take place at Ardoin’s Funeral Home in Basile on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m., with a rosary led by Deacon Gary Gaudin at 6 p.m. Visitation will resume on Thursday, October 8, 2026, from 8 a.m. until the time of the service. Funeral services will be held at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Basile at 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 8, 2026, with an entombment to follow at the St. Augustine Mausoleum.
