Randall and Jonna Young
What A Wonderful World It Would Be
FEBRUARY 2016
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
Randall and Jonna Young met while they were both students
at Baylor University.
“A mutual acquaintance introduced us in early October
of 1975,” Randall said. “Jonna was at his apartment baking
something for a friend for her birthday. She lived in a dorm
that didn’t have a kitchen. He introduced us and I asked her
out.
“Our first date was Halloween. We had a good time.”
Randall insists that he was shy.
“It was hard for me to talk under the pressure of a date,”
he said. “It was just hard for me to keep a conversation going.
But, she talked so much that I didn’t have to worry about
having to say anything. It was great.”
On their next date they went to homecoming together.
“There was a football game, parade and a carnival,” Randall
recalls. “We spent all day together and we had fun.
“But, I didn’t go back and tell my friends, ‘I just met the girl
of my dreams,’” he said. “Neither did she. But, we enjoyed
each other’s company. We had fun. That’s the way we’ve
always been — just two people who enjoyed being together.”
They were married on March 18, 1978.
“I had rented a cool old farmhouse from Perry Mader,”
Randall said. “It was up on Springtown Highway. We were
fixing it up.”
Jonna’s dad was a Baptist minister at Cockrell Hill Baptist
Church in Dallas. “He married us in his church,” Randall
recalls. After the wedding an d reception were over, the newlyweds went to their quaint rented
farmhouse and spent their honeymoon painting their home.
The Young’s will celebrate their
38th Wedding Anniversary next
month. They’ve raised a son and a
daughter, had a lot of great times
and weathered a few storms. Today,
they like staying home together in the
evenings more than going out. But
what they most enjoy is spoiling their
18-month-old granddaughter.
What’s the secret to a great and
happy marriage?
It helps that they still like each
other.
“She’s fun,” Young said. “She’s a
redhead, you know.”
So, what’s the secret to a long
marriage?
Tenacity, Randall said, adding,
“Never give up. You’ve got to stick
with it. It’s worth it.”
Is there a secret to keeping the
magic alive?
“Yes,” Young said, “definitely —
garage sales.”
More love stories on page 22
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