My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Dr. Rebekah Elizabeth Young of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, took her final breath on this earth and her first in the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on the morning of September 2, 2024, at the age of 46, following a courageous 17-month battle with endometrial cancer.

Rebekah was born October 24, 1977 in Carthage, Mississippi, to Rev. James H. "Jimmy" Young, Jr. and Sarah Willey Young.  The eldest of three children, Rebekah later welcomed brothers James H. "Jim" Young, III and Peter "Pete" Lawrence Young.  During Rebekah's early childhood years the family lived in Walnut Grove, Mississippi (Leake County), where both parents were educators and her father Jimmy served as pastor of New Hope Baptist Church.  When Rebekah was eleven the family moved to Neshoba County, where Jimmy served as pastor at Hope Baptist Church.  In 1988, Rebekah gave her life to Jesus Christ, accepted Him into her heart, and was baptized.  One of the fruits of her discipline and academic aptitude in her walk with Jesus was becoming a State Bible Drill Champion as a youth.  Rebekah regularly attended Rehobeth Baptist Church with her mother, or Cornerstone Church, where her brother Jim is on staff and Pete attends with his family.

Rebekah attended South Leake Attendance Center grades 1 through 10, but received her high school diploma in 1996 from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Mississippi's public residential high school for academically gifted students, located in Columbus.  Rebekah then matriculated to the educational institution she loved most in all the world and would be closely associated with all her life, The University of Southern Mississippi.  From Southern Miss Rebekah earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 2000; her Master's of Public Health (MPH) with a dual emphasis in epidemiology and biostatistics in 2006; and her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in educational administration in 2013, which she had the distinction of earning alongside her brother Jim.  They were the first pair of siblings to graduate with doctoral degrees at the same time in the institution's 100+ year history.

Between stints at Southern Miss, Rebekah worked as a first grade teacher at REBUL Academy in Learned, Mississippi, and as a research assistant in the School of Nursing at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.  After returning to Hattiesburg, Rebekah served as a graduate assistant in USM's Center for Sustainable Health Outreach (CSHO). After completion of her MPH degree, she worked as a program specialist at CSHO for five years before assuming the same role with USM's Institute for Disability Studies (IDS).  Rebekah would go on to serve the Institute as Program Specialist, Executive Coordinator for Administration and Planning, Associate Director, Interim Director, and Executive Director.

Rebekah was an educator: she served as an adjunct instructor, of course at USM, but also at the University of Texas at Tyler and Belhaven University; primarily, at each institution, in graduate-level statistics in the respective institutions' public health and health care administration programs.  At Belhaven, she also developed graduate-level research courses for the Doctor of Education program and served as dissertation advisor for many doctoral students.  She was a member of the American Public Health Association, Education Law Association, and Community-Campus Partnerships for Health.

Rebekah loved many things – most of all, Southern Miss football and her family, and the two were intertwined.  Her love of the Golden Eagle football team was a gift to her from her father.  She was a "Golden Girl" during her undergraduate years, and was a fixture of Row 11, Section G at The Rock, missing only one home game since 1996 (and not many more prior to that!).

Rebekah demonstrated her love for her family by her involvement in their lives despite the geographical distance between them.  Pete's children, her niece Hattie and nephew JP, were her "Faves," and she attended countless games, recitals, and show choir performances to cheer them on despite living 90 miles away.  And although not a member of Cornerstone Church in Rankin County, she was a known and beloved presence there because she showed up in support of the ministry of her brother Jim as that congregation's worship pastor for the last 20 years.  She was her mother Sarah's shopping companion, book swapper, road warrior, and joint show-choir groupie for Hattie and JP.  As they faced individual health issues the last few years, Rebekah and her mother were inseparable.

Rebekah is survived by her mother, Sarah Willey Young, her brother Dr. James H. "Jim" Young, III, both residents of the Sandhill/Pisgah community of Rankin County; her brother Peter Lawrence "Pete" Young, sister-in-law Jade Young; her "Faves," niece Hattie Young and nephew JP Young of Flowood, an uncle Danny Young of Carthage, four aunts, and eight cousins.

She is preceded in death by her father James H. Young, Jr, grandparents James H. Young, Sr. and Madeline Young, grandparents George Alvin Willey, Jr and Viola Morgan Willey; and uncles George Alvin Willey, III, David Lee Young, and Steven Floyd Young.

A celebration of Rebekah's life will be held at Cornerstone Church in Pearl, MS on Saturday, September 7, 2024.  Visitation will be 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM.  A memorial service will follow visitation at 12:00 PM. As Rebekah cared for many people and many causes, the family asks that those wishing to honor her make donations in her honor to the charity of their own choosing; or, if they prefer, to the Institute for Disability Studies through the USM Foundation, 118 College Drive #5210, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001, www.usmfoundation.com .

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;  I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! – Job 19:25-27

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. – Psalm 121:1-2

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.—Joshua 1:9

Because Your favor is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.—Psalm 63:3-4

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. – 1 Timothy 1:7