Alice Two Bulls Young, a long-time member of the Adventist church on Pine Ridge Reservation, passed away at the Bennett County Hospital in Martin, South Dakota on Sept. 16, 2016. She was 82 years old.
Young and her cousin, Margaret Swallow-Dyer, attended Madison College in Tennessee in the early 1950s. After graduating from the medical records department, she went to work at White Memorial Hospital. In 1958 she returned to South Dakota. Young’s work history included time with the Bennett County Booster newspaper, Oglala Sioux Tribe, Oglala Lakota College and the Foster Grandparent’s Program. For many years she was a counselor for college students and taught Lakota Language 1 and 2.
About a month before American Indian Family Camp, Young commented that she didn’t know why it took her so long to find Jesus—only in the past few years had she finally found her “friend.” She said praying and reading her Bible finally brought her to an understanding of the love that Jesus had for her. Young promised to work hard at her physical therapy so she could attend this past camp. Grandma Alice, as she is affectionately called, had attended every American Indian Family Camp since the camp started. She would stay the whole weekend and was always cheerful and grateful.
Young did come. Her daughter, Sandy Fly, drove her to Flag Mountain Camp on Sabbath morning. Many people said as she came in, “Now camp meeting has started!” Young shared her testimony that morning and Gary Burns, Native Ministries coordinator for the Lake Union Conference, made a video of it to be shown in conference churches.
Many suspected it would be Young’s last camp meeting, as she probably did. Young leaves behind a legacy of true love for Christ.
–Debra Claymore-Cuny is Native Ministries coordinator for the Dakota Conference.
