Martha Guida Young

It is with great sadness that the family of Martha “Marty” Guida Young announces her passing on January 7, 2024 in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She will be missed by the many people who knew her and whose lives were touched by her commitment to family, church, and community. Marty was born into a first-generation Italian-American family in New Haven, Connecticut on November 2, 1939. Her parents, Dr. Francis Paul Guida and Anna Margaret Guida (nee CoFrances), celebrated their Italian heritage and embraced all the opportunities life presented them. Marty attended and graduated high school from The Day School (now The Hopkins School) in New Haven in 1957. She went on to attend Connecticut College for Women (now Connecticut College), earning a Bachelor of Arts in Italian Studies in 1961. Upon finishing college, she worked at the Hamden Public Library before moving to Boston, Massachusetts in 1962. While working for IBM in Boston from 1962 to 1966, she met a young Lieutenant in the United States Navy, John Rawstron Young. They married on August 28, 1965 and began their life-long partnership. Their first stop on that journey was Newport News, Virginia where their two sons were born: Michael Guida Young and Douglas Haig Rawstron Young. After leaving Newport News in 1970, the US Navy took them to Gaeta, Italy for several years where their daughter Susan Elizabeth Young was born in nearby Pozzuoli and the family got a taste of Italian life. Returning to the United States in 1972, Marty embraced her family life in Alexandria, Virginia and started a decades long and deep relationship with St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, that included membership in the Altar Guild, Choir, Episcopal Church Women, and various fellowship groups. For three years, starting in 1978, the family lived in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, enjoying the small town and outdoor life of the Door County peninsula. Returning from Wisconsin in 1981, she became the Parish Administrator of St. Luke’s, a position which she held until 2009. Upon retiring from St. Luke’s, she and John re-connected to their New England roots by summering in Thomaston, Maine - renovating an 1854 house and hosting friends and family on a regular basis for day trips along the Maine coast, cool summer evenings on the front porch, and traditional lobster dinners. While continuing to travel to Maine each summer, she and John moved to Fort Belvoir, Virginia in 2018 and settled into The Fairfax, an independent living and continuing care community. One of the constants in Marty’s life was music (opera and musicals, in particular) and singing – at home, church, and in the community. Taking after her parents, she started singing at an early age which continued with professional vocal training in high school and college, as well as participation in both school’s choirs. After moving to Boston, she performed with the Handel and Haydn Society and upon arriving in Virginia continued her love of singing with the Sweet Adelines Chorus and Quartets. She was also a mainstay of the St. Luke’s Choir from the start of their membership in the early 1970s until recently when her health precluded her from participating. Beyond her love of singing and music (an appreciation of which she passed along to her children), Marty was an avid reader, looked forward to any kind of family celebration and milestone events, and enjoyed various community volunteer activities. She was a Girl Scout leader with her daughter’s troop, supported her sons’ Boy Scout and sports activities, worked at the local library and participated in St. Luke’s outreach and service projects. She and her husband John also loved antiquing and traveling. Both as a child and adult she was fortunate to travel throughout the United States and many countries in Europe (including studying in Padua, Italy during her college years), as well as Russia, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, The Holy Land, and New Zealand. Marty will be remembered by all as someone who loved her family, her heritage, and her community, wherever and whoever that community was at that time. She is predeceased in death by her parents, Dr. Francis Paul Guida and Anna Margaret Guida and brother-in-law Alan Molitz. She is survived by her loving husband, John Rawstron Young, Capt. USN (Ret.); her children, Michael Guida Young (Maureen); Douglas Haig Rawstron Young (Jessica) and their daughters Emma Madeleine and Anna Elizabeth; and Susan Elizabeth Young Smith (Kevin); her brother Dr. Paul CoFrances Guida (Patricia); her sister-in-law Nancy Molitz and her sons Julian Molitz (Angela) and Alexander Molitz; and many other cousins and family members. The family would also like to thank her caregivers at The Fairfax who helped make her final days with us peaceful and restful. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Capital Fund or organizations in your community that help those in need of a home or food. Calling hours will be held by the family at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 8009 Fort Hunt Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22308 on Friday, March 1, 2024 from 4-7PM, where Marty's celebration of life will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 11AM. The service on March 2 will be live-streamed via this website: www.saintlukeschurch.net. Information can also be accessed via Jefferson Funeral Chapel (www.jeffersonfuneralchapel.com).

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Martha Guida Young

November 2, 1939 - January 7, 2024