**Annamae Young, Mentor and Community Volunteer, Dies at 93**
Annamae Young, a retired insurance assistant, mentor, and dedicated community volunteer, passed away on September 8 at the age of 93. Throughout her life, she was known for mentoring colleagues and improving workplace efficiency, earning deep respect and recognition from those she guided.
Her children fondly remembered her home-cooked meals, which often included roasts, chicken, fish, macaroni and cheese, and candied sweet potatoes. She also delighted in baking apple pies and making spritz, chocolate chip, and peanut butter cookies. Sunday dinners were plentiful affairs, and holidays were always filled with gifts for her five children.
Born June 16, 1932, in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, Annamae was the daughter of Paul Moses, a house painter, and Annie Bell Moses, a short-order cook and domestic worker. She attended Lower Merion High School, where she developed a love for studying Latin. Her family recalls a particular memory of Annamae missing school due to illness, returning to take a test, and acing it — prompting her teacher to say, “You can’t keep a good woman down.”
Growing up on West Spring Avenue in Ardmore near Haverford College, she often shared stories about her diverse neighborhood, which was home to Black, Italian, Irish, and German families. “They were lean days,” she recalled, remembering cardboard in her shoes and an outhouse in the yard. “I didn’t know I was poor, because everyone was.”
Annamae also fondly remembered a neighbor who had the first TV on the block. “You put a quarter in to watch it,” she said. She often spoke of her mother baking biscuits and frying chicken on a pot-bellied stove, feeding neighbors who came from miles around. “Yoo-hoo! Is anyone home?” she would recall, remembering how visitors announced themselves at the unlocked front door.
She was first married to Charles Hall Sr., and later to Vernon Young. Together, they raised five children. After Vernon Young’s passing in 1995, Annamae relocated to Wayne.
Annamae began her working life as a packer at the Swell bubble gum factory in Havertown before moving on to a role as an insurance underwriting assistant at Philadelphia’s Aetna/Cigna Insurance Company. She earned bonuses for suggesting workplace efficiencies and was highly regarded as a meticulous mentor. Upon her retirement, co-workers often requested copies of her training notes.
In retirement, Annamae briefly worked at a children’s boutique in Wayne, joined a seniors’ book club, and tutored both adults and elementary school students. She was actively involved in supporting children’s charities and often reflected on profound questions such as, “Why do good people suffer?” and “Why do children have to suffer?” Her family described her as thoughtful, skeptical, and curious throughout her later years.
She cherished spending time with family, enjoyed shopping and knitting, and dressed with care—frequently giving colorful, handmade scarves as gifts. Annamae’s love for cooking, traveling, watching game shows, playing board and card games, following sports, and listening to music brought joy to her life. Some of her favorite artists included Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, The Spinners, and Luther Vandross. Her family fondly recalled how, at times, she sang along while playing the opera *Carmen*.
Known for her dry humor and quick wit, Annamae occasionally danced alone in the kitchen. She especially delighted in family game nights playing Uno and checkers, sometimes bending the rules playfully to win.
During Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, she volunteered at local campaign headquarters, making phone calls to support his candidacy. She quietly celebrated her children’s achievements, encouraging their artistic interests through painting and dance classes, as well as trips to the theater.
Annamae was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Annie Bell Moses, and siblings Severn, John, Paul, William, Evelyn, Marion, and Teddy.
She is survived by her children Vikki Asbury (Ernest), Gavin Moses, Julie Haywood (Art), Scott Hall, and Charles Hall Jr. (Tommy); grandchildren Casei Dickens, Kimberli Asbury, Ernest Asbury III, Chelci Asbury, Olivia Smith (Miles), Alexandra Haywood, Arthur Haywood IV, and Tree Moses; great-grandchildren Autumn Cijntje, George Taylor Jr., Jayce Dickens, Jasmine Asbury-Johnson, Jordan Asbury, Kymara Asbury, Cailyn Asbury, Aiden Douglas, and Harper Douglas; along with other family members and friends.
Services were held Friday at DeBaptiste Funeral Home.
https://www.phillytrib.com/obituaries/annamae-young-a-retired-insurance-assistant-and-volunteer-dies-at-93/article_e4c93ab0-a19c-4465-a5c4-1d97cac7b796.html