Fannie B. Young (formerly Starks), 84, of Montgomery & Fairfield, Alabama and San Jose, California, passed away peacefully, May 2, 2024. Family Hour is scheduled for Friday, May 24, 2024 7pm --8pm in the chapel of Ross-Clayton Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held Saturday, May 25, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. in Leak Memory Chapel 945 Lincoln Rd, Montgomery, AL. Burial will follow in Greenwood Cemetery.

Full Obituary ---

Fannie B. Young (formerly Starks), 84, of Montgomery & Fairfield, Alabama and San Jose, California, passed away peacefully, having spent her remaining days with each of her three children.

Fannie was born in Wetumpka, Alabama, the youngest of 10 children born to Lonnie Young, Sr. and Emma Traylor Young. The family later moved to Montgomery, Alabama. In 1943 when Fannie was 3 ½ years old she went to live with Lonnie’s sister Annette and her husband, Uncle L.M. Russell in Fairfield, Alabama – a small town near Birmingham. There she was raised, nurtured and loved by her foster parents.

Her first memory of that new journey, was being escorted to her new home by one of her brothers, in uniform, on his way to his military assignment.

Fannie’s ‘Aunt Nette’ had a real passion for education. Reflecting on this, Fannie wrote:

She especially believed that being both black and female meant being potentially vulnerable to exploitation on both counts. Education was the key to having more options that allowed self-sufficiency and control of one’s destiny. She had the highest respect for marriage – she and Uncle L.M. had been married almost 50 years at the time of his death; however, she felt strongly that a woman should never feel the need to get married, or remain in an untenable marriage, for the sole purpose of having someone provide financial support. I can still hear her saying: “If I live to see you walk across the stage to pick up your college diploma, I will be content to go, as I will know that you will have the tools to care for yourself”.

She was a feminist long before the word became mainstream.

Needless to say, Fannie went on to graduate from Alabama State College with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in mathematics and physics. She carried on this strong feminist ideology and love for education, passing it on to her children and her grandchildren, all college graduates.

Fannie had a love for music and started learning piano from an early age. Her taste in music was wide and crossed several genres including pop rock, opera, classical, R&B and a little country from time to time. This love of playing and listening to music carries on with her children and grandchildren, all proficient in multiple instruments.

After marrying Tuskegee Airman, Erskine Starks, Fannie moved to San Bernardino California, where Erskine was assigned. She used her joint Math and Physics degree to go into engineering, working at avant-garde companies such as Lockheed Martin, Memorex, Fairchild Semiconductor, Schlumberger and BD Medical. She found this work very stimulating and challenging and was one of the pioneers of Silicon Valley in San Jose, California. She was reluctant to give it up and was 73 when she finally decided to retire.

Reflecting on Aunt Nette’s views during the civil rights movement, Fannie wrote:

We saw some difficult times, racial wise, as I was growing up. Aunt Nette would discuss these issues with me as we read and watched the news. More importantly, however, in terms of shaping my life, was her overall advice to me. In spite of the unjust and horrible things that we were seeing, it was essential that I understood that these attitudes and actions did not represent the entire human race.

Fannie was a strong campaigner for human rights, often campaigning door-to-door, children in tow, for politicians and issues she felt strongly about. In her retirement years, Fannie joined the AAPR, acting as company secretary and board member of her local chapter for 8 years. This became her outlet for helping others and movement for positive change. She remained an active member until just before her death.

Fannie Young is preceded in death by her parents and all 9 of her siblings. She is also preceded in death by her ex-husband, Erskine ‘Billy’ Starks, I.

She is survived by her daughter, Ursula Starks-Browning; her sons Erskine Starks II and Jeffrey Starks; Daughter-in-law, Janine Wherity; grandchildren Jordan Starks-Browning, Bryce Starks-Browning, and Joseph Starks and former Son-in-law, David Starks-Browning.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, 2024 in the Leak Memorial Chapel. Interment will follow in the Greenwood Cemetery Serenity Gardens with Ross-Clayton Funeral Home of Montgomery directing. The Repast will also be held at Leak Memorial Chapel, Camellia – Jefferson Room.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made in Fannie Young’s honour to a charity to be confirmed shortly.

MEMORIAL EVENTS:

Friday, 24th May: Ross-Clayton Funeral Home
Viewing:
1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Family & Friends Hour/Visitation

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, 25th May: Leak Memory Chapel
Viewing
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Celebration of Life Service
11:00 a.m.

ADDRESSES:

Friday Viewing and Visitation

Ross Clayton funeral home

1412 Adams Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36104

Ceremony and Repast/Reception:

Leak Memory Chapel

945 Lincoln Rd, Montgomery, Alabama 36109

Burial
Greenwood Serenity Memorial Gardens
909 Lincoln Rd. Montgomery, Alabama 36109