Barbara Jeannette (Parks) Young, 91, a former accomplished professional athlete, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at The Residence at Great Woods in Norton, MA. She was the beloved wife of her biggest "cheerleader", the late Robert A. Young.

Born in Brookline, MA on February 7, 1933, she was a daughter of the late Thomas Parks and the late Barbara (Smith) Parks. She was a sister to the late Marian Parks and late John Parks.

In the Spring of 1950, the Parks sisters of Brookline, Barbara and Marian, boarded a train in Boston and headed to South Bend, Indiana. The talented duo traveled to play in the All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League, later made famous by the iconic film, "A League of Their Own". Back then Barbara was known simply as "Parksie" or "Sparky". She played for the Chicago Colleens and the Kenosha (Wisconsin) Comets.

She was honored to have been named to three halls of fame. In 1977, she was inducted into the Dean Junior College Hall of Fame (Franklin MA) for her tennis abilities; in 1988, was one of her greatest accomplishments - included in the Women in Baseball exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, and in 2009 was inducted into the CT Golf Association's Hall of Fame.

In 1994 she was the recipient of the CT Sports Writers' Alliance Gold Key Award.

Her accomplishments and accolades were endless in every sport she played - tennis, field hockey, baseball, basketball, platform tennis and golf.

On the tennis court, she earned the New England Girl's Championship, played on the Junior Girl's Wightman Cup Team, played in the National Junior Championship, played the number one spot on the men's tennis team at Dean Junior College, was a Poughkeepsie, NY Women's Champion and a Westport, CT Women's champion.

From 1949 - 1952, she was a member of the Brookline High School field hockey all-star team and was a member of the field hockey all-star team at Dean Junior College.

In the early 1960's she was a member of a semi-professional basketball team.

From 1975 - 1981, she was the National Mixed Platform Tennis Consolation winner, the New England Women's Platform Tennis champion and the Professional Platform Tennis Association having been ranked in the top ten players in the United States.

And then, of course, there were her countless golfing accomplishments. After receiving a set of golf clubs for Mother’s Day, she took on the game of golf. From 1974 - 1991 she won the CT State Women's Championship - medal play six times and was the winner on two occasions of the CT State Women's Championship match play.

She was the CT State Women's Senior Champion on eight occasions, had three wins as the CT Women's Golf Association Senior Champion and was honored as being the North & South Senior Champion on 6 occasions.

Barbara continued with her golf accomplishments throughout New England and North Carolina primarily. Additional accolades included being the New England Women's Golf Association Senior Champion and the New England Women's Golf Association Champion.

In Hilton Head, South Carolina, she had two wins as the Palmetto Dunes Senior Champion. She took second place in the USGA National Women's Senior in Mobile, AL and was the 1989 Senior Champion in the NY Metropolitan Women's Golf Association in Yonkers, New York and in 1992, was the Eastern Women's Golf Association Senior Champion. In that same year, she was the Canadian National Senior Ladies Champion.

She was the senior medalist low gross in the Women's South Atlantic Invitational and had two wins as the North Carolina Women's Senior Champion. For seven years, she earned the designation of being the Tar Heel Women's Golf Association Champion and the three-time City of Wilmington Women's Champion.

Barbara was the Women's Eastern Super Seniors winner on three occasions, was the 2000 Transnational Senior International Four-Ball Champion, two-time champion of the Carolina Golf Association Women's Super Senior and was the 2002 Carolina Golf Association Women's Senior Championship.

At the Highland Country Club in Attleboro, MA, well into her 80s, she was the second-ranked female member when judged by handicap.

She leaves her two children: Janet Young See of Mansfield, MA and Lawrence Peter Young of Baltimore, MD, and four grandchildren: Christopher Young, Andrew Young, Jason See and Brian See.

Barbara was the mother of the late Donna A. Young and the late Scott A. Young.

Family and friends will be cordially invited to attend a Celebration of Life gathering to be scheduled in January 2025 in the "Memorial Chapel" of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro, MA.

Burial will be private.

To send the family a written expression of sympathy, please visit an online guest book at www.dyer-lakefuneralhome.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro. (508) 695-0200.

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