Jessica Marie Young

Jessica Marie Young, 39, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, passed away on October 7, 2018.  She was born February 21, 1979 in Manhasset, New York, to her parents, Gloria Jenkins Rine and Frank P. Hawthorne.  As a child, her father and step-father were both members of the U.S. Coast Guard, so Jessica moved frequently and lived in Tampa, FL, Lake Charles, LA, Renton, WA, Leland, NC and Chesapeake, VA.  She was a long-time resident of Leland, NC before moving to the Fort Walton Beach, FL area, which she considered to be her home.  She managed the restaurant, bars, convention and banquet rooms for the Wyndham Gardens for many years, coordinating events of all sizes and delivering Wyndham Gardens as a destination wedding location.  Having worked for years in the hospitality field, Jessica saw there was a need for a breakfast restaurant catering to the late night patron as well as those wanting a quality brunch, and so the idea of Asiago’s Skillet was born.  Her restaurants showed almost immediate success.  The Skillet was voted Best Brunch in Destin in 2016, Best Catering in 2016 and 2017, and was featured in the USA Travel Vlog article “The Best Food & Beaches on Florida’s Emerald Coast”.  Jessica was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in January, 2017 and sought the medical care of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.  While a patient in their care, Jessica participated in numerous clinical trials and received a non-related stem cell transplant to treat her illness.  The family would like to express their deep gratitude to the dedicated doctors and nurses at MD Anderson for their devoted care over the last 22 months.  She was a devoted mother and sister, a dedicated Philadelphia Eagles fan, a determined gamer, a champion pool player, and a card shark!  Jessica is preceded in death by her grandparents Howard Jenkins Sr. and Gloria Simpson Jenkins and Florence Esther and George Hawthorne, as well as her uncle, George Hawthorne II.  She had a very special bond with and survived by her daughter, Claudia Marie Young and her son, Zachary Young, her husband, George Young, her mother, Gloria Rine and step-father, Claude Rine, her father, Frank Hawthorne, step-mother Marilyn Hawthorne and her brother, Jonathan.  Jessica has a strong love and devotion for her sister Holli Annette Croope, Holli’s husband Troy and son William as well as her aunt, Theresa Brannon, Theresa’s husband Billy and their children Josh and Mirranda, as well as Mirranda’s husband Matthew, and children, Rhett and Emory.  The relationship Jessica has with Holli and Theresa is a bond that will never be broken.  She also leave behind her beloved German Shepherd, Rex.  Jessica has many aunts, uncles, and cousins that loved her and will miss her greatly. There are so many other friends and business associates that will miss Jessica’s drive and dedication; the family expresses their appreciation for your help during Jessica’s battle with cancer, especially Lawrence Taylor, Dale Andrews, Michelle Anders, Nicole McBee, Doug Filpi, and Theresa “T” Follachio.  Jessica’s love for her family and extended family of friends will transcend her death.  The family will receive visitors at Emerald Coast Funeral Home between the hours of 6:00 and 8:00 PM, Saturday, October 20, 2018.  A funeral service will be conducted on Sunday, October 21, 2018 at 9:00 AM.  Interment will take place at Beal Memorial Cemetery immediately following funeral services.  Jessica would like everyone to show up in casual wear.  Please contact Emerald Coast Funeral Home to confirm date and time.  Flowers will be received by the family, although it is Jessica’s wish that in lieu of flowers donations can be made to a Go-Fund-Me account for her children.  Expressions of love and sympathy may be placed and viewed online at www.emeraldcoastfuneralhome.com.

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