Michele Dearing Young, 60, of Fort Madison, Iowa died at 10:14 am Friday, September 8, 2023 at the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House, West Burlington, Iowa. Michele was born November 1, 1962 at Kansas City, Missouri, a daughter of Bill J and Martha Charlene (Hoover) Dearing.
In 1984, Michele earned a public relations degree from the University of Kansas, and was an active member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. During college she met Russell B “Skip” Young. They were married on June 1, 1985 at Prairie Village, Kansas. They moved to Fort Madison and for the past 39 years they ran Dana Bushong Jewelry Company, Inc. together. She quickly made friends and got busy, and she became known as the “downtown cheerleader.” She worked hard to keep Fort Madison growing, especially the downtown area. She was an active member of the Fort Madison United Methodist Church, North Lee County Historical Society, P.E.O. Chapter BS-KV, and she was Retail Chairman for many years. She loved, and was loved by her family and many friends!
Michele is survived by her husband, Skip Young, of Fort Madison; four children: Lauren (Bryan) Rodeffer, Natalie (Kyle) Steffensmeier, William Young (Paige VanFleet) and Katherine Young (Jordyn Gerdes), all of the Fort Madison area; her mother, Charlene Dearing of Overland Park, Kansas; one sister, Mimi Dearing and her son, Joe Dearing, both of Overland Park, Kansas; five grandchildren: Raleigh Rodeffer, Michael and Grayson Steffensmeier, Hudsyn and Brody Young; and many other family members and friends. She was preceded in death by her father.
A Celebration of Life is being planned and will be held at a later date. A memorial has been established for the Fort Madison United Methodist Church. Barr Memorial Chapel is honored to serve the Young family and an online guest book may be found at www.barrmemorialchapel.com.
