Juanita Young Loper

Juanita Young Loper, 96, of Chatom passed away July 22, 2022 at the Washington County Nursing Home.  She was born Monday, March 29, 1926 in Fairford, Alabama.

Aunt Nita as she was known by all, was preceded in death by her husband, Curtis Melvin Loper. They were married December 16, 1950 and he passed away at age 54 on February 28, 1985.  They had a wonderful, happy life together.  Her parents, Walter Sterling Young and Lilian Amentha Evans Young, were married in 1915 and were early settlers in Washington County.  From this marriage there were ten children.  Juanita was the last living sibling from this generation.  She was the fifth child and it was almost like the Waltons’ TV show was patterned after their family, they even had a “John Boy”.  Juanita loved her family and talked and visited with all of them, especially at “Homecoming” at Liberty Baptist Church. 

She talked about all of her brothers and sisters to the very end of her life; they were:  Eunice (John) Sellers, Walter (Lillie Mae) Young, Annie Laura (Fletcher) Tharp, Moody (Edna) Young, John (Mae) Young, Grady (Sylvia Gaye) Young, Barbara (Wayne) Haselmaier, Lorine (Robert) Slater and Anna (Joe) Bedwell.  All ten of these children lived through the “Great Depression”. Her four brothers served during World War II and one also served in the Korean Conflict. She was so proud of her brothers and the sacrifices they made for our great country. 

After living through these hard times, Juanita was driven to succeed, and hard work had been instilled in her at an early age.  She began working for Long Leaf Lumber Company in November of 1956 and continued working there for 60 years until 2016 when she was 90 years old.  Her handwriting was beyond beautiful and her ledgers looked like a work of art, because she took great pride in everything she did. 

Juanita was a faithful member of Spring Hill Baptist Church where she served in many capacities including church treasurer, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School teacher.  She enjoyed singing in the church choir and enjoyed decorating the church for different occasions.  She loved her church family as if they were indeed her own family.

Juanita took great pride and joy in working in her flower gardens around her home, and it looked like a miniature Bellingrath Garden.  She always enjoyed sharing and showing her gardens to anyone who came to visit…this brought her great joy.  She also loved her home and kept an immaculate house where she welcomed the WMU group from her church for their mission meetings; her home was filled with beautiful treasures she had collected during her life.

Although she never had children, she had numerous nieces and nephews that she loved. She remembered their birthdays and what was going on in their lives, but she was always quick to tell them exactly what she thought: but she loved them with all her heart.

After all that is said and done in life, all that really matters is our faith in God and our love for our family.

The family wishes to extend special thanks to Dr. Steve Donald, Dr. Meagan Carpenter and staff, Kare-In-Home Hospice and to the entire staff of the Washington County Nursing Home for the excellent care that was given to our Aunt Nita.

Funeral services will be held on July 25, 2022 at Springhill Baptist Church with Rev. Ernest Tucker and Rev. Doug Mabry officiating. Interment will be at Liberty Baptist Church cemetery in Fairford, Alabama. 

Pallbearers:  Mark Young, Walter Lee Bedwell, David Haselmaier, Dirk Young, Haynes Haselmaier and Jason Grimes. 

Honorary Pallbearers:  Susan Turner, Peggy Tew, Les Franks, Reginna Hill and Princies Franks. 

Services were under the direction of St. Stephens Funeral Home, St. Stephens, Alabama.

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