Evelyn Dorrit Young passed away peacefully at her home at Brookdale Rosehill in Shawnee, Kansas, on May 2, 2023.
She was 99 years old.
Evelyn was born in Vienna, Austria. Her family was forced to leave when she was 18 years old to escape the Nazi invasion. The family fled to Havana, Cuba, where she married and had her daughter, Karene. They lived in Havana for two years. They moved to Mexico City, where Evelyn got a job at a jewelry store. After five years, she and her family moved to Kansas City.
She quickly established herself as an expert jewelry salesperson. Evelyn worked for Krigels for more than 30 years, likely as the only salesperson who spoke English, German, French and Spanish. She designed their window displays, and many of her customers said they knew that if they walked by the store, they would invariably buy something.
Evelyn was extraordinary in so many respects of which she never talked about. As a teenager, she learned to make hats from her grandmother and modeled them for local Kansas City stores. She was known as a great cook whose goulash and chicken paprikash recipes were in demand.
Evelyn loved going to monthly meetings of the “Fountain of Youth” club, a group of Viennese women who all left Austria during the war. They exchanged recipes, spent Jewish holidays and played cards together. Evelyn was a loyal friend. It’s difficult to think of Evelyn and not think of her love of music, especially opera.
Evelyn is survived by her daughter, Karene Copeland of New York City; devoted caregiver and friend, Donna Cook; close friend, Lara Steinel of Lenexa, Kansas; and Monique Halberstein and Ari Greenwald of Florida.
Donations in her memory can be made to Congregation Kol Ami (kolamikc.org) or Kansas City Hospice (kchospice.org).
