Melvin K. Younts August 19, 1929 - August 27, 2022

His obituary shared that he was born in Durham, North Carolina on August 19, 1929 and passed away on August 27, 2022, age 93. He was preceded in death in 1996 by their daughter, Kerry Ann Y. Culp and in 2018 by his beloved wife Dollie.

He was a son of the late Forrest M. and Marie H. Younts. Mr. Younts grew up in Greenville and Fountain Inn, was a graduate of Fountain Inn High School, Furman University and received his law degree from the University of South Carolina. He was a lifetime member of the Fountain Inn First Baptist Church.

Melvin Younts was a prominent philanthropist in the SC Upstate. He was a retired attorney of the firm Younts, Alford, Brown and Goodson and has enjoyed tremendous success in a variety of business endeavors. Along with practicing law for 55 years and the owner of various businesses and partnerships, Mr. Younts was the co-founder of Fox Run Country Club having served on the board and as President several terms and was one of the co-founders of Fountain Inn Federal Savings and Loan. Mr. Younts was an Eagle Scout and remained active throughout his life with the Boy Scouts. He served on the Greenville County School Board for 23 years and was Chairman twice. He served as city attorney for Fountain Inn for many years. Mr. Younts served on the Furman University advisory committee, North Greenville University's Board of Trustees, and as a member of Clemson University Cornerstone Organization. He was a major contributor to the following projects: Melvin and Dollie Younts South Club in Memorial Stadium at Clemson, Melvin and Dollie Younts Trading Room in the Wilbur and Ann Power College of Business at Clemson University, Furman University Conference Center and Paladin Plaza, plus major athletic and school contributions, Columbia College Soccer field stadium, North Greenville University Football Stadium, wellness center, and numerous scholarship funds and other endeavors. Connie Maxwell Marie Younts Home for girls in Mauldin, SC, Younts Performing Arts Center in Fountain Inn, Greenville Tech infrastructure for Innovation Center in Greenville, Anderson University Football Program, Newberry College Football Program, and the Kerry Ann Younts Culp Library. Melvin loved his community and was very generous in contributing to the needs of this area and surrounding areas.

Mr. Younts was an avid Clemson and Furman football fan, traveling to as many games as possible. He also enjoyed boating, traveling, golfing, and spending time at the beach.

Mr. Younts is survived by four sons, Kemp Younts and his wife, Tammie Jo Younts, David Younts and his wife, Frieda, and Laney Younts and his wife, Dana: and his son-in-law James Culp and his wife, Corie. 

Known by them as "Grandy" he is also survived by fourteen grandchildren, Trent, Colin, and Drew Culp, Jenna Younts Chandler, Jonas, Cassie and Will Younts, Katie Younts Kinley, Wesley, Dalton, Luke, Savannah, Grayson Younts and Kerry Younts Berry; and thirteen great-grandchildren, Jaxon, Mason and Ellie Chandler, Lottie, Mattson and Norah Culp, Noah, Asher and Levi Kinley, David III, Aiden, Kennedy and Emersyn Younts.

Pallbearers serving will be his nine grandsons, Trent, Colin and Drew Culp, Will, Jonas, Wesley, Grayson, Luke and Dalton Younts.

In a celebration of his life, his granddaughter Katie Younts Kinley spoke eloquently about how much Melvin meant to his family. “As I’ve been preparing for this I kept asking myself how on earth I could summarize 93 years in a few minutes speech. There is no shortage of information out there if you wanted to learn about all of his accomplishments during his time here. All of his generosity, his accolades his successes - it’s all out there in newspaper articles and social media posts. But this week I was reminded of a quote I heard by Andy Stanley that says, “Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do, but someone your raise.” We can all agree that Grandy had many accomplishments, but I wanted to honor him today not for what he gave to us, but for what he left behind in us. Our family is who we are because of the culture that he set and because of the impact that he’s had personally on each of us. He always gave us something to laugh about or joke about; there was never a dull moment with Grandy, especially if you were riding in a car or golf cart with him. There are a lot of ways to describe him and a lot of characteristics that I could pick from to highlight in this time but after a lot of time trying to narrow down the list, I finally landed on the three that I feel has marked me the most and the ones I see carried on in our family. 

If there was one word to perfectly describe our Grandy it was passionate. He was a very passionate person and if you ever had the chance to attend a Clemson football game with him you know this to be true. He was passionate when we were winning and extra passionate when we were losing. I believe his passion for the law is what drove him to be successful in his career and why he was so dedicated to work as hard as he could. It is impossible to be passionate and apathetic; you can’t be apathetic and always give your best. He always gave his best, 100% to what he was doing. If anyone in our family carries his passion the most it would be my Uncle Joe. If you never got a chance to see my grandfather’s passion on display, try and catch a Rudolph Gordon boys’ basketball game this year. Joe’s passion for excellence and bringing out the best in his players will be evident from the time you walk in the door; you may even hear him from the parking lot. Our community is a better place because of Joe’s passion for coaching the next generation and I’m proud of him for time he gives away to his players and I know Grandy was too. 

Meme and Grandy took me on my first airplane ride! They took the grandchildren on trips in small groups before there became too many of us! He took the 3 oldest boys to New York, Washington and Florida and my cousin Jenna and me (2 oldest girls) to Washington and Florida. He always gave us a wakeup call bright and early so we could fill our days with fun and learning. I remember him taking me and Jenna down to the pool in Florida and him carrying his briefcase full of papers to review while sitting by the pool. He always worked hard and played hard. He loved music. Once we went bike riding in Florida and he brought a clip-on radio to have on his bike so we could listen to Frank Sinatra and other big band music while we rode. I always thought of it as boring elevator music back then but now it's one of my most played stations on Spotify. 

Once there became too many grandchildren to take everyone in small groups, they decided to start taking us on big family vacations. I have them to thank for my viewing of the Northern Lights in Alaska, surfing lessons in Hawaii, a catamaran tour in Costa Rica & Cabo, and more. They lived a life full of adventure and I’m thankful they wanted to share that part of their life with us too. 

What makes a legacy? What will ours be? These are questions that plague our minds as we go through our lives but I think a legacy is not what’s written on the bricks of buildings but what’s written on the inside of those closest to us. Family, I believe Grandy is proud of you, our family, his greatest legacy. The way we carry on his memory and his name will be his greatest honor. Let’s work hard to carry it well, making sure we play plenty hard in the process."

Editor's note: It is an honor to recognize Melvin on the front page of my paper. He was at ardent supporter of the Sentinel and was very encouraging every time I had the privilege of meeting with him. I remember fondly the celebration of his 90th birthday. Friends and family gathered at the Younts Center to wish him well and thank him for all the contributions he made to the community. On a side note...We shared the same birthday, August 19.