Carl Donham Youngberg, 83, died on January 25, 2026, after a lengthy illness. The son of Axel Bernhardt Youngberg (d. 1985) and Clara Bell Donham (d. 2009), he and his sister Linda (d. 1995) were born in Parkville, Missouri. When Carl was a child, the family began a Christmas Tree farm, and his father also worked for Santa Fe Railway. His mother was a home manager and did bookkeeping for several local businesses.

He is survived by his husband David L McNair, his daughter Laura Youngberg (Grace Pedersen), stepdaughters Erin McNair (William Goodwin Eschelman) and Morgan McNair Bertolotti (Giordano Bertolotti.) As well as grandchildren William and Anton Youngberg, Giovanni and Massimo Bertolotti.

After graduating from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a Master's in Counseling and Social Psychology, which he later described as preparing himself for the wrong job, Carl joined the newly formed Peace Corps. He received training in international education through UCLA in preparation for working in the National University of Honduras. He served for three years in Tegucigalpa at the university's School of Medicine. Carl maintained his Peace Corps connections throughout his life, in later years participating in mission trips to mountain villages in Honduras. For one of these trips, a Nutcracker performance was organized involving the village children, complete with dance lessons and beautiful costumes donated from the U.S. Remembering the ballet program, Carl wrote, "The simple truth that people who give completely and wholeheartedly are rewarded by receiving completely and wholeheartedly is true. I will never forget the thrill of standing on that playground, hearing the music, seeing the dancing and looking into the eyes of the parents." A fellow mission-goer observed that the ballet program may have had the longest impact of their trip because it offered those families a sense of hope and possibilities. Those themes would echo in Carl's business pursuits.

In November 1969, he married Cathy Gammon and they became parents to daughter Laura Ellen. Living in New York City, Carl embarked on a 20-plus-year career where he embodied the finest aspects of the luxury retail industry, beginning at the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store. He was the originator of professional training and development for Executives, focusing on stores, operations and transportation. Subsequent moves with Saks took him to Boston, St. Louis, and Los Angeles, where he was a regional director of store operations for the West Coast.

In 1981 he was recruited by Neiman Marcus to work at their headquarters in Dallas. Some of his favorite memories of his time at NM included being asked to play Santa Claus at annual employee events, being known as "Chef Carl," complete with costume, and the time he shepherded Julia Child and her husband Paul during a visit to the store. She was visiting for Neiman Marcus's Fortnight event to sign videos of her popular PBS French cooking show. After signing hundreds of copies for customers, Carl was scheduled to take her to NM's famed Zodiac Room for lunch. Instead, Julia proposed a casual picnic. Carl pulled some bread, meat and cheeses from the French Deli in the store, and the three settled onto the floor of a large fitting room off the sales floor with big windows flooding the room with October Sunshine. "During the course of several bottles of wine, Julia and Paul told me their stories," he recalled.

In 2008 he published "Make Yourself Matter, Become Your Own Best Asset." In his book, Carl used Child's life story as an example of someone who had found what they liked to do best in the world and excelled — inspiration for jobseekers he coached to find their own best path. Additionally, Carl and David wrote and developed the highly successful Interview-to-Win Boot Camp. They held 80+ two-day training workshops and helped over 2,000 job seekers get new jobs that were aligned with their passions.

Carl had a deep connection to his Christian Faith throughout his life, being confirmed as an Episcopalian while he served in the Peace Corps in Honduras. He was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, where he received the Tau Cross & Crown service award in 1985. He was also very involved with the Parish Day School and later served on the Board of Trustees of Ursuline Academy and formed the Dads Club there.

Carl and David met and fell in love in 2005 and were able to legally wed in 2016. In their heyday they hosted 10 events per year of over 100 people in their garden and home benefiting the City of Richardson, The North Texas Peace Corps, Richardson Adult Literacy, and the Cultural Arts Commission. Supporting the Arts was a major focus for Carl and led to him being awarded the prestigious "Heart for The Arts" in 2006 for helping create and launch the Eiseman Center for Performing Arts. In the Dallas arts scene, he was a board member of Friends of Fair Park, WRR Classical Radio, and Dallas Business for Culture and Arts (Leadership Arts). He founded the Waterview Preservation Association in 2010 which added bike lanes, Entrance Signs, street signs and landscaping under his leadership. As noted by a close friend, "He knew everyone, everywhere, all of the time." In the past 10 years as a Theater Commentator and Critic, he and David enjoyed attending live theater. He started with a Dallas Morning News theater column which morphed into Where the Drama Is, a popular outlet for local theater today.

In all the varied organizations he worked with, he was not merely a member but a strong leader and trailblazer. Carl Youngberg changed lives and made an impact with his sharp wit, humor and storytelling. He actually lived his motto "Make Yourself Matter, Become Your own Best Asset."

The Requiem Eucharist for Carl Donham Youngberg (1942-2026) will be held on March 27th at 4pm at Episcopal Church of Transfiguration 14115 Hillcrest Road, Dallas (NWC of Spring Valley and Hillcrest). The service will be followed by Inurnment and Reception at the church.

The service will also have live streaming on March 27 for use on the day of the funeral and saved for the future as below.

https://www.transfiguration.net/youngberg

In lieu of flowers please make donations to the following non-profits that were dear to Carl's heart,

1) Episcopal Church of Transfiguration www.transfiguration.net

2) North Texas Peace Corps Association https://north-texas-peace-corps-association.square.site/product/donate-to-north-texas-peace-corps-/2

3) Richardson Public Library Friends of the Richardson Public Library