Obituary of Nivene Ann Young

November 15, 2024

July 9, 1956 – November 15, 2024

It is with deepest sorrow that the family of Nivene Ann Young announces her passing. She was a loving and devoted daughter, sister, aunt, godmother, mentor, and friend.

Nivene was born in Kingston, Jamaica and emigrated to the US at the age of 12. She lived most of her life in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, where she was well known for her radiant smile, her independent nature, her profound faith, and her limitless charity to others.

From an early age, Nivene was drawn to the teachings of Catholicism and attended Holy Rosary Preparatory School in Jamaica. After becoming blind at 17 due to a brain tumor, she said that her experience ultimately brought her “closer to the Church, Christ, and the Blessed Mother.” She was an enthusiastic participant in daily Mass at the Sacred Heart of Jesus church and at devotional services at many other churches in NYC where she was a familiar face.

Despite losing her sight in high school, Nivene achieved a BA in Elementary and Special Education/Sociology from Marymount College, an MA in Special Education for the Blind/Visually Impaired from Columbia University, and an Ed.S. in Special Education for Severe/Multiple Disabilities from the University of Kansas, Lawrence. She worked for a number of years as a teacher with the NYC Board of Education facing numerous challenges as she navigated the mass transit system armed only with her cane and her memory to get to different work locations. But whenever she traveled by train, bus, or plane, total strangers became her friends as they offered their help. One of her mottos in life was that “God will provide,” and it often happened, although not always in the ways she expected!

She was a woman of principles, and when her American citizenship application was delayed because of her status as a conscientious objector, Father Mulvanerty successfully defended her as “a young woman of exceptionally good character, an intelligent student, and a person of sensitive and well-developed moral judgment.” She received her citizenship soon after.

Nivene was a catalyst for positive change, working tirelessly to protect the lives of the unborn and the disabled. She prayed the rosary several times per day and had a network of friends that she regularly called by phone to pray with her. She continued this practice even when it became difficult for her to finish the prayers.

Nivene dedicated herself to working with students with visual impairments and other disabilities and always found ways to show kindness and offer aid to those in need. She taught English as a Second Language to newly arrived immigrants, both sighted and non-sighted, and also assisted several in navigating the complicated path to citizenship. Many of her students went on to achieve success and always remembered her classes as a place of fun, kindness, and acceptance. She was a uniting force in an era that has become increasingly divisive, and it grieved her immensely to hear the public discourse we are now experiencing.

Nivene will be remembered for her devout faith and boundless compassion, which remained strong even during the toughest situations. She was the consummate community creator, constantly reaching out to friends and family in her efforts to support the Pro-Life movement, the canonization of Saint Margaret of Castello, accessibility issues for the blind and the disabled, and on behalf of any friend who needed a helping hand or a prayer warrior. It was hard to say no to her, and even if you did, you often changed your mind later!

Nivene lived an extraordinary life of quiet grace, deep love, and compassion that touched hearts and minds. She was an inspiration to many people and changed the lives of all who knew her.
She will be greatly missed by her mother Patricia, sister Joni, half-sisters Karla and Kim, brother-in-law Alex, nieces Allegra and Alyssa, and the Young, Moo Young, Wong, and Torres families, as well as the many friends in her neighborhood and her community of faith. If she knew you, she loved you.
She was predeceased by her father Karl, her brother Rocky, and her half-brother Chad.

The family would like to thank her home aides, Vivian, Haoua, and Nancy, for their dedicated care for Nivene over the last few years and all the friends who prayed with her by phone or visited her as her illness made it harder for her to move around.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to:

Missionaries of the Poor
https://missionariesofthepoor.org/

Sisters of Life
Pay by check to: Sisters of Life, Annunciation Motherhouse 38 Montebello Rd, Suffern, NY 10901
or online at https://sistersoflife.org/donate/

Good Counsel
https://www.goodcounselhomes.org/

Funeral Services