Nolen Lewis Young, from Willow, Arkansas, passed away Wednesday, 18 January 2023, at his home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He was 92 years old.

He grew up in the Wave, Round Hill, and Leola communities and attended Carthage High School.  The family were founding members of Hunter's Chapel Methodist Church on Hwy 9 in Leola.  After high school, Nolen married Wilma Hudson—also from Willow—and they enjoyed 67 years together.  He served in the Arkansas Army National Guard, the US Navy, and the US Air Force for a total of 27 years.  He was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars.

In the 1960s, he built and raced stock cars as a hobby and won many races at the local quarter-mile tracks. He was also a HAM radio operator for more than 20 years, and helped people communicate through several natural disasters.

Upon military retirement, he became a water-well driller in Colorado for the next 20 years.  Afterwards, Nolen and Wilma became avid RV'ers traveling around the country for 10 years, continuing to make new friends everywhere they went. They eventually moved to Oklahoma City in 2006.  When Wilma passed away in 2018, Nolen moved to Florida to be close to his daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

What people noticed about Nolen was his genuine caring for others and a desire to help. He was also a peacemaker.  He put family first, and it didn't matter if you were his kids, a sibling, a niece or nephew...if you needed something, he would try to help you.  He demonstrated Christ's love for humanity by being His hands and feet on earth, and was a faithful member of a local Baptist church.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Horace Greely Young and Mary Ethel Childers; his wife Wilma L. Hudson; siblings Ida Mae (Young) Voss, Emogene (Young) Pettit, Arlis Young, Margaret Inez (Young) Hays, Vanetia (Young) Foiles, Betty Sue Young, and Doyle Craig Young.  Survivors include his sister, Dorothy (Young) Bolliera, and his brother, Reece W. Young; daughters Paula Renee Grannis (Larry) and Janice Lynn Larson (Jim); 3 grandchildren: Seretha Dawn O'Malley (Carl), Kyle Patrick Larson, Kevin James Larson (Natalia Barry); 4 great-grandchildren: Lillian Faith Willis, Brent Paul O'Malley, Finn Nolen O'Malley, and Nolen James Larson.

Services will be held Friday, 27 January 2023, at 1:00pm at Regency Funeral Home in Malvern, AR, with burial immediately following at Hunter's Chapel Cemetery, Leola.

Arrangements are by Regency Funeral Home. You may sign the guest book a regencyfuneralhome.com.