Robin Gay Young's Obituary
Robin Gay Young was born into this world on August 27, 1962, in Tahlequah, OK. She was the only child of Robert Edward “Butch” Foster and Mary Jeanell Foster.
Lloyd Leon Rice raised Robin as his own daughter after he married Jeanell in 1967. She often fondly recalled the day Leon came to her and said, “You can call me Daddy now.” Robin took Leon’s last name when she entered school, so she was known as Robin Rice throughout her school years even though she had never been officially adopted. Somehow, her Daddy had made sure the name Robin Rice was not only on her school records but also on her driver’s license and social security card.
Growing up, Robin was an active member of the First Baptist Church in Chouteau. In Chouteau High School, Robin had many friends and was active in choir and basketball. After school, hanging out with friends and playing foosball at the Wildcat Rec Center was a favorite pastime. She liked to ride her bicycle all over town visiting her friends and family, and she enjoyed writing poetry during her downtime.
Robin gave birth to her first and only child, Chad Ryan, and she bought a brand new home in Chouteau, all at the young age of 17. Robin met Nick Carlton Young Jr. in 1981. The two quickly became best friends and fell in love. Nick moved in with Robin and Chad in 1982, and they were later married at Qualls on June 30, 1984, with Chad serving as the ring bearer. On that day, they officially became a family of three.
Robin volunteered as Scout Master for Chad’s Cub Scout group and also worked as a substitute teacher at Chad’s school. Robin held many jobs while raising her young son, from being a private in-home healthcare worker to selling Tupperware. Though Robin did not graduate with her high school class in 1980, she eventually earned her GED and went on to attend college at RSU and NSU, earning honors.
Robin and Nick became empty nesters when she was only 35. She filled her time working as a sales clerk, bank teller, and preschool teacher, but her favorite job was being a homemaker. She enjoyed decorating her home, cooking, baking, gardening, and hosting birthday parties for her family.
Robin loved nature and animals and enjoyed taking her beloved Buffy on walks at all the local parks. She had learned from her Mom and Grannie Ica the names of many flowers, flowering shrubs, and trees and enjoyed pointing them out and identifying them on her walks.
Robin had a creative spirit and over the years enjoyed photography, writing, coloring, counted cross stitch, pouring and painting ceramics, wood burning, and flower arranging. She also enjoyed creating dioramas for her vintage Barbie collection to photograph and share with other Barbie collectors around the globe.
Robin was a sweet, smart, loving, sensitive, and generous soul. She always rooted for the underdog. She had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh.
Robin loved her husband Nick with all her heart and soul. He was her best friend, her Godsend, her soulmate. They enjoyed going to concerts and over the years saw amazing performances together by Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Aerosmith, James Taylor, and Bonnie Raitt, to name a few. Nick fulfilled her dream of traveling, and they enjoyed vacationing across the United States and Mexico. When Robin was diagnosed with breast cancer, Nick was her own personal superhero, taking her to and staying with her through every appointment, treatment, and surgery.
Robin had a weight problem from the time she was a child. In 1996, she put herself on a strict diet and exercise program she developed herself and lost 101 pounds in 14 months. Robin was also a smoker for 20 years, and she weaned herself off cigarettes and quit smoking for good that same year.
Raised in a dysfunctional family where she was physically, verbally, and emotionally abused, she turned to drugs and alcohol in her teen years to numb her pain. Ten years into her addiction, she voluntarily checked herself into rehab to get clean and sober. When she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, she was prescribed narcotics to ease her pain. As the doses grew to a maximum level and made her sick, she detoxed herself off the drugs.
Robin suffered from depression and regularly struggled with thoughts of suicide throughout her life. She remained strong in her faith and did everything she could to raise her spirits without drugs. All of these challenges made her a stronger person — she became a fighter. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 48, she was unknowingly prepared for the fight of her life. She was victorious, giving all the glory to God.
On January 25, 2026, our creator called Robin home. She was ready and waiting.
Robin leaves behind her loving husband, Nick; her son, Chad; and seven grandchildren: Ryan, Hailey, Camberly, Peyton, Bubba, Brynlyn, and Jaxton.
Robin was preceded in death by her grandparents, George and Geneva Foster, and Jewel and Ica Davidson; her parents, Robert Edward “Butch” Foster, Mary Jeanell Rice, and Lloyd Leon Rice; and her brother, Toney Lee Davis.
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