Alicia Young celebrates 100 years

Alicia Young celebrated her 100th birthday on January 8, 2019, and attested that her “strong Catholic faith” has enabled her to live life fully for the past century. A life-long parishioner at St. Augustine Catholic Church and a member of the Ladies’ Altar Society, she added, “Enjoying life, drinking coffee and plenty of water helped along the way. Drinking an aspirin a day didn’t hurt either.”
That aspirin a day must have worked wonders because Mrs. Young was rarely ill and did not visit the doctor often. It was not until she reached her 90s that she began taking prescribed medicine on a regular basis. She continued to live at her home until 2 1/2 years ago when she became a resident at Oaklane Wellness and Rehab in Eunice.
Born on January 8, 1919 at the home of her parents in rural Acadia parish south of Basile, Alicia Veronie lived her life with joy. Her parents, Lezie and Celeste (Vidrine) Veronie resided just west of Highway 97 near the canal where they raised nine children. Alicia and her twin sister Alice were numbers seven and eight in the line up. Alicia has outlived all of her siblings. In addition to Alice, they were Phillip, Cleve, Aline, Alia, Delia, Lucy, and Alcin.
Her most vivid memories of her childhood revolved around her home and swimming at the nearby canal. She enjoyed the company of her siblings, especially her twin, who lived to be 96.
Like most young people of her time, school usually ended in middle school or junior high. Alicia was lucky enough to complete the eighth grade at the new Basile High School, which had been built in 1925, the year she started first grade.
She married Morris Young, also of the rural Acadia parish area, at the age of 16 on May 11, 1935. They were married for 74 years before he died in November of 2009 at the age of 93.
Mr. and Mrs. Young lived about five miles southeast of Basile in the area commonly referred to by locals as Berwick - just off Allie Young Road.
There, the Youngs raised Jeanette, who now resides with her husband, Richard Kittler, in Bossier City; Hubert and his wife, Charlotte, of Lake Charles; Harry and his wife, Sharon, of Basile; and Judy and her husband, Cloyd Fontenot, of Basile.
Mrs. Young was proud to live her adult life as a homemaker, caring for her nine children and providing a loving home for her and husband, who worked as a carpenter and a school bus driver for Acadia parish students attending school in Basile.
Mrs. Young now has seven grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.
Alicia always loved to dance to French music. In fact, she and her husband won the 1967 La. Swine Festival Cajun Two-Step dance contest. She was also known for her home grown canned fruits and vegetables. She loved baking, especially syrup pies. Reading and playing cards with family and friends were among her favorite past times.
At her birthday party, her daughter Judy said, “You know, Mom, you are 100 years old. Maybe you might live 100 more.” Not missing a beat, Mrs. Young replied, “Maybe so.”