Nancy Keller Young
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Nancy Keller Young passed away on January 11, 2022, just shy of her 88th birthday. She will be remembered by her family and friends for her trademark color scheme of red, black, and white, her fiery and independent spirit, sharp sense of humor, her love of LSU, family and friends, and a good party. After losing her husband, Melvin Buren Young III, at the age of 42, she managed to support herself and her three teenage children by starting a successful small business from scratch and putting them through college at a time when women-run enterprises were a rarity, a fact of which she was extremely proud.
Nancy was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on February 27, 1934, to Bess Olmstead Keller and Maxfield Leander Keller. She lived in Hope, Arkansas, until the age of 7, when her parents moved to New Orleans so her father could attend dental school at Loyola University. After dental school, her family moved to Shreveport where she attended Byrd High School and went on to study at Louisiana State University. She spent her junior year at the University of Alabama so that she could live in the Tri-Delt house, because LSU did not have sorority houses at the time. After graduation, Nancy taught French and English in New Orleans before marrying her husband, Melvin, whom she met while in high school. They spent four years in the Marine Corps and were stationed at both Camp LeJeune and Quantico.
Nancy and Melvin moved back to Shreveport then to Alexandria in 1963 where Melvin was an architect and Nancy taught French at Alexandria Country Day School. After Melvin's death, with the help of Knox Goodman, Nancy started a women's jewelry and accessories business from her dining room table which became Nancy Young Accessories in MacArthur Village from 1979 to 1999. She returned to Shreveport in 2001, where she enjoyed working part time at Styron's, sewing hats for chemotherapy patients, and reconnecting with old friends.
She is survived by her daughters Katie Slack (Stewart)of Dallas, Texas, and Emily Shaw (Rhod) of Alexandria, Virginia, and her son, Max Young (Lynn) of Flower Mound, Texas, and her nine grandchildren, Taylor Slack (Genny), Emily Slack, John Stewart Slack, Caroline Shaw, Sarah Shaw, West Shaw, Max Young (Katie), Madalynn Young, and Elizabeth Young Graves (Tyler). She is also survived by her sister, Sissy Keller Mayeaux of Shreveport, and her nephews James Mayeaux (Peyton), and Keller Mayeaux (Robin) and their children, Thomas, Graham and Max Mayeaux and Declan Mayeaux.
Due to COVID, a family burial will be held at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport. In her memory, Nancy would want you to wear red, plant a plant or call a friend. Donations in her memory may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Shreveport (500 Common Street, Shreveport, LA 71101), the Shreveport Symphony (P.O. Box 205, Shreveport, LA 71162) or the charity of your choice.