Tietje (Tillie) Young, 85, of Sedro-Woolley, Washington died Friday, July 19, 2024, at home.

Born on July 30, 1938, in Winsum, Groningen, Netherlands, she was the daughter of Kornelis Douwe (K.D.) and Jeanette Dykstra.  She was a member of the Christian Reformed Church.  In the 1970’s, the Young family joined the First Baptist Church in Sedro-Woolley and became one of the founding members of Faith Baptist Church in Burlington, WA.  After Willie passed, she began attending CTK Hope in Burlington.  Her faith in God’s promises was most important to her, and she instilled this faith in her family.

In 1945, Tietje stood with her dad behind the barn in Groningen when German soldiers came to their home.  They arrested her father for participating in underground activities.  She remembered clearly that his hands never shook while he was being shoved into the car and taken away.  The war left a lasting impression on her, and she truly valued the freedom that came with moving to America.

During the war, she and her siblings would bring eggs to school and trade them with the soldiers for chocolate.  Her mom could never figure out why the chickens had stopped laying eggs.  They didn’t confess until after coming to the United States.

Tietje’s mom would send her to the bakery to purchase bread.  On the way home, she would snack on the bread and arrive home with only half a loaf.  Her mom then had her buy two loaves so one would make it home for the family.  She gained the nickname of Stuite Liefje, or “Bread Belly.”  Anyone who knew Mom knew she loved fresh bread, donuts, Dutch pastries, and mocha cake.

Tietje and her family immigrated to the United States in 1951.  They lived in New Jersey and California before settling in Skagit County in 1954.  On May 15, 1957, Mom became a United States citizen.  She was so proud to be an American.

She attended and graduated from Sedro-Woolley High School in 1957.  Her high school years were some of her favorite times, and she had many memories and stories to share.  She recalled leaving school with Judy during lunch to get to the fabric store in Bellingham and back before the lunch bell rang.  There was no I-5, but she said it could be done in 52 minutes on Highway 99.  She was a proud Sedro-Woolley Cub.

In 1959, Tietje was a bookkeeper at Bingham State Bank.  She worked for Abe Bingham and John Higgins.  All the older ladies at the bank took Mom under their wing and taught her the finer points of shopping at Frederick & Nelson, Nordstrom and The Bon Marche.  She learned this lesson well, just ask Andy.

Her friends and family always thought she would remain an old maid, but Mom had a different idea.  She made a five-year plan: buy a sewing machine, purchase a brand new car, visit her brother and sister-in-law in New Jersey, and return to Holland to visit family and friends.

She bought the sewing machine and planned a train trip to New Jersey to visit her brother.  While there, she purchased the most beautiful coat and hat.  After this purchase, she had to work at a bra factory to pay for the trip home.  She packed sandwiches for the trip home and had eaten them all before she reached Chicago.  She said no one knows how far Chicago is from Seattle until you run out of food.  Fortunately for her, some college kids realized she wasn’t going to the dining car and bought her food somewhere in Montana.

In 1961, she purchased a midnight blue Impala Sports Coupe with a white pinstripe and a blue top.  She wanted loud pipes, but Walt Blade would not sell them to her.  He said, “Good girls do not have loud exhausts on their cars.”  He eventually relented and sold her Smitties.

Andy and she met at the skating rink in 1961.  Neither of them imagined that encounter would turn into 62 years of marriage, four kids, a complete remodel of the family home, Dairy Family of the Year, many trips and running the family farm for 55 years.  They united in marriage on June 15, 1962.

On November 2, 1970, she decided she didn’t know what her name was because the host family gave her an American name.  Mom went to court and changed her name back to her birth name, Tietje.

In 1992, she attended Skagit Valley College.  She enjoyed being the oldest student in class and made many friends.  She was two classes short of her AA, and she always thought it was foolish that she didn’t finish.

Tietje took great joy in her grandchildren.  She was always up for an adventure.  She traveled with them to Disneyland, Silverwood, Silver Dollar City, Great Wolf Lodge and Newport, Oregon.  She could always be seen on the sidelines of sporting events cheering, criticizing referees, umpires and coaches.  She thoroughly enjoyed watching a good competitive game, whether it was basketball, football, softball, tennis, baseball or competitive cheer.

She also provided bookkeeping services to many businesses, including WIMPCO, Washington Cheese Plant, DeBoer Dairy, Oma and Opa and The Young Dairy.

The hardest part about Mom is that she always left an impression no matter where she went.  Trying to put her life into words is impossible.  She lived for adventure, and it always seemed to find her, whether in travel, raking a field, working on books or taking care of her family.  She instilled hard work, love for her family, and the importance of a clean house.

Survivors include her husband, Andrew Young; three children and their spouses, Kimberly Buchanan, Tietje Kaye (Kelly) Miller and Cornelia (Matthew) Miksovsky; daughter-in-law, Kimberly Young of Sedro-Woolley; 13 grandchildren, Ryan Buchanan, Cody Buchanan, Kyle Miksovsky, Tyler (Catie) Miksovsky, Anastasia (Jeremy) Miksovsky, Patrick Miksovsky, Caleb Miksovsky, Evan (Amanda) Miksovsky, Rebekah (Brandon) Kline, Luci Miller, Kamryn Miller, Lani Miller and Edward Young; six great-grandchildren and three more expected; sister, Alice Oosterhof; brother, Douwe (Ymkje) Dykstra; sisters-in-law, Charlotte Dykstra, Sandra Dykstra, Judith Brown, Mary Miller and Jean Campbell; brothers-in-law and spouses, George (Sharon) Young and Willie Howard; numerous nieces and nephews.  Mom had many special friends that passed through her life, and even in distance, they were on her mind.  Azure, your time here was short, but she always knew what day it was.

She was preceded in death by her parents, K.D. and Jeanette Dykstra; father-in-law, Charley Young; father- and mother-in-law, Imogene and Lee Reed; son, Andrew William Young Jr.; sister, Hebeltje; brothers, Tunis, Henry, Henrik and Casey; brothers-in-law, Billy Campbell, Pat Young, Edward Young and Ed Brown; sisters-in-law, Sue Howard, Betty Warden and Helen Young; nephews, Pete, John and Jeff Oosterhof, Michael Rouw, Mark Brandon Collins and Steven Young; niece, Cara Howard-Barney.

A time of visitation will be available from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, July 26, at Lemley Chapel.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Young Dairy, 27506 Burmaster Road, Sedro-Woolley, on July 27 at 3:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations in her name to Camp Gilead, 30919 NE Carnation Farm Road, Carnation, WA  98014 and Hospice of the Northwest, 227 Freeway Drive, Suite A, Mount Vernon, WA  98273.

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