Beverly Young, 95, of Clark and formerly of Urbandale, Iowa, died on May 26, 2026 at Avantara Care Center in Clark.
Beverly Ann Young (Ostrom) was born December 24, 1930 in Wausa, Neb., at her parents' home, the first of three children to Carl Elmer and Anna Lisa (Polson) Ostrom. The family moved from Wausa, where both sets of Beverly's grandparents had immigrated from Sweden (a heritage Beverly was most proud), to Omaha, Neb., where her father went to work as an auto mechanic for Elmer Borg, who owned the second oldest garage in Omaha. Beverly attended Henry W. Yates Elementary, and from second to eighth grade, she attended Central Park, where she was named outstanding eighth grade student. Beverly had a gift for art even at a young age, when a teacher noticed her talent in junior high and recommended for her to take art classes at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. After she graduated from North High School in 1948, Beverly continued her art education and attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In her free time, she would go to concerts at Peony Park and see the big bands, such as Harry James, where she and her friends would dance out under the stars. Beverly worked for Union Pacific Railroad in freights accounts in the general auditor's office. The company asked her to model for a national magazine advertisement as a passenger in a train. She began her career working for advertising agencies, when she became the personal secretary for noted philanthropist Dick Holland at Holland Advertising in Omaha.
Love was in the air when Beverly met Byron Young on a blind date to a movie and dinner at the Dundee Dell in Omaha. They were married at Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha on August 25, 1961, and they had two children, Kristin and Jeffrey. Due to Byron's job transfers with Insurance Company of North America, the family left Omaha to live in Malvern, Pa. and then Urbandale, Iowa. In Urbandale, Beverly worked as a production manager for a number of advertising agencies in Des Moines: Creswell, Munson, Fultz, LaCasse & Associates) and then for Lord Sullivan Yoder. After LSY closed and following the death of her husband on January 26, 1992, Beverly went to work as production manager at Grace Label, where she worked until she retired in 2008.
Beverly enjoyed painting oil landscapes, urban scenes and later concentrated on portraits, of which she gave away to the people she painted. Beverly received numerous rewards at art exhibits such as the Iowa State Fair and the Heritage Gallery in Des Moines. She painted with Des Moines artist Mary Muller on Saturdays and enjoyed going out to lunch with fellow students after class. Lunches and dinners with friends were a favorite pastime. Beverly traveled abroad almost every year with a group of friends to countries such as France, Greece, Portugal, Barcelona, Italy, Monaco and Germany. She also liked to travel the United States, with Santa Fe, N.M. and La Jolla, Calif., being some of her favorite places. Ultimately, she enjoyed being with her children the most. At the onset of COVID-19, she moved to Clark, S.D. in April 2020 to live with her daughter and family for a year. Beverly returned to Urbandale to spend time with her friends, and after a year, she moved back to Clark to be near her daughter.
Beverly was a member of P.E.O., the National Portrait Society and St. John's Lutheran Church in Des Moines.
Grateful for having shared in Beverly's life are her children Kristin (Greg) Janisch of Clark; Jeff (Angelica) Young of Morrestown, N.J.; a grandson, Kaden Janisch of Clark; step-grandsons Casey (Amanda) Janisch of Watertown and Corey (Sydney) Janisch of Thief River Falls, Minn.; a sister-in-law Dolores Ostrom of Omaha, Neb. and many nieces and nephews.
Beverly was preceded in death by her parents Carl and Anna, her husband Byron, her sister Donna Bolton and her husband Richard, her brother Carl Richard, sisters-in-law and their husbands Rachel (Ken) Forney and Lorraine (Earl Jr.) Dashner and a brother-in-law and his wife Marlin (Ruth) Young and a nephew Marlin Young Jr.
Furness Funeral Home is in charge of cremation arrangements. Per Beverly's request, no funeral or memorial service will be held. Interment will be at a later date next to her husband Byron in the Brook Lawn section at Westlawn-Hillcrest Memorial Park in Omaha.
"The song has ended, but the melody lingers on." —Irving Berlin
