(Yesterday, family and friends of Larry Young met in a local funeral home to pay our respects and bid Larry a final farewell. He seemed, at one time, a most improbable convert to Christ. So I share this eulogy, which I delivered in his memory, as a testimony that one should never give up on praying for an unsaved loved one or friend.)
For too, too many years when the Young family—Michele and children—attended church, it was always without the husband/father of the family, Larry. I don’t remember him being present for any of the important spiritual milestones in the lives of his children—baptisms, Awana Awards, Christmas Sunday School programs, graduations, or even the commissioning service of his beloved daughter, Michelle, for missionary service to Africa.
In fact, not only did Larry not attend the happy occasion of Michelle’s commissioning service, he opposed her going to a foreign mission field. Whereas most Dads would have been overjoyed that one of their children had the desire follow Christ’s command to go with the gospel to the world, Larry was anything but delighted at the prospect, and he endeavored with all his might to talk her out of going. But, she went anyway, because she had a Heavenly Father that she answered to first, and His evident call upon her life could not be denied.
I wish Larry had been present on the day, in Cleveland, that Baptist Mid-Missions accepted Michelle’s application to serve under the auspices of BMM as a missionary. The president of the board, Gary Anderson, after Michelle had been thoroughly interviewed by a group of pastors and other board members, announced that Michelle had passed the exam with flying colors. He went on to say, “In fact, if she weren’t a woman, we would have ordained her to the ministry!” I can imagine seeing that slow smile creep over Larry’s face, had he been there that day. But, he wasn’t; and Michelle followed her Lord’s leading all the way to Zambia, to serve as a single gal on the mission field.
In the course of time, though, God got ahold of Larry Young’s heart, as only He has a way of doing. And, there came a day when Larry yielded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and to the invitation of Jesus—“Come unto me”—and he was gloriously saved and later baptized as a public profession of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He then joined TRBC as a member. From that moment, Larry never again tried to dissuade his daughter from obeying her Savior’s command to “go into all the world, making disciples of all men….and, lo, I am with you always.” That was good enough for Larry—that Jesus was with the apple of his eye, and that he could fully trust her with Him.
When this began to take place, Larry accepted an invitation to engage in a program of one-on-one discipleship. He was at square one—as in, “There is an Old Testament, and there is a New Testament—both are part of what we call the Bible, God’s Word.” Larry was biblically and doctrinally illiterate, but he had one HUGE plus working in his favor: He was, from the moment he put his faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior, indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. We met, then, each week for an hour or so: learning the books of the Bible, studying basic Bible doctrines, and eventually delving into the meanings of a list of two or three hundred Biblical and theological terms. Larry might have been Biblically illiterate, but this diesel mechanic was anything but stupid—and he had a desire to learn and a determination to grasp the teachings. He was a good student, and grew much.
He was, at the same time, doing something that some would have once believed would never happen: he began to attend church regularly with his wife. The church family soon became Larry’s family, too. He delighted in greeting people; and, though it was not easy for him to maneuver crowded aisles and spaces, he managed to get out of his comfort zone and shake hands with as many people as possible. His once-uncaring countenance turned into a joyful expression of God’s indwelling love in his heart, love for God, love for God’s people, and love for God’s Church. He had surely been born again, and it was evident to all that he was indeed a new creature in Christ Jesus. Larry lived to see his missionary daughter marry Harrison Banda—whom she met when she was serving in Zambia as a single missionary—and was thankful that the Bandas, with their family, were able to serve the Lord in Africa as ambassadors for Christ.
In time, his physical afflictions became more pronounced, and surgeries and disabilities eventually made it impossible for Larry to attend the church services that he so very much loved. But, Larry never lost his kindness, his sweet spirit, and his love for God and for God’s people.
He was lifted up by the most devoted help-meet a man could have asked for, his wife of 43 years, Michele—every day to the last day, Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Early, very early, on that morning, faith became sight for Larry Young, as his spirit took flight from a body wracked with pain. He took up his abode in the heaven of heavens, with the Lord Jesus and others of His body—the Church which, ahead of the much-anticipated Rapture of the Body and Bride of Christ, has already experienced what Paul meant when he said, “Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord.”
No soul sleep there; no special password needed to enter that city not made with hands. Jesus, who had once said to Larry, “Come unto Me,” on Tuesday the 19th said, “Come and dine.” And so he did. And so he is. And we can only rejoice, with those around the throne of God, that another one of His Lambs is safe forever in the Fold, safe in the arms of Jesus. To God be the glory, now and forever. Amen.
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.” (Rev. 14:13)
YOU and GOD 