Elizabeth "Ann" Young, 95, of Bella Vista, Ark., died Friday, May 13, 2022, due to complications from Alzheimer's. She was a loving mother, devoted wife, grandmother and great grandmother who was a life-long learner and a follower of Jesus Christ, her Savior.
Ann was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 10, 1927. She enjoyed a life there filled with piano and dance lessons that sustained her throughout her life. Her childhood home was filled with lush gardens, which instilled in her a love of gardening.
She was an accomplished cook, having learned alongside her mother on a small electric stove. She enjoyed entertaining her friends and family, preparing many delicious gourmet meals.
Ann was a lover of all of God's creatures big and small. She spoiled many dogs throughout her life, including her beloved Sammy, her self-described angel! At one time, Ann even had a pet skunk named Sweet William. She also adopted a squirrel named Stubby, who earned a story in The Gazette. Ann daily fed the many birds that frequented her multiple bird feeders.
Growing up, Ann's family traveled extensively throughout The United States and The Northern Hemisphere. This instilled in her a love of travel that carried her through much of her life. She visited six of the seven continents. She was able to put these experiences to use in her career as a travel agent, providing her clients with many exciting adventures. Ann and her husband, Durand, shared a love of hiking and being outdoors, making numerous trips to Estes Park, Colo., one of her favorite spots in the world.
Ann graduated from Carlton College with an Art History major. She had a voracious appetite for reading non-fiction books on economic and political thought. She enjoyed lively intellectual discussions with friends in their book club known as SIMPS (Self-Improvement Society). She belonged to and supported many organizations that promoted the founding principles of The United States, including Hillsdale College and The Foundation for Economic Education.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl Bruce and Renny May Drake; her sister, Mary Mugg; her husband, Durand C. Young; her son, William Bruce Witt; and her stepdaughter, Karen Lovro.
Ann is survived by her son, Robert M. Witt, II, (Jackie); her daughter, Wendy May Breese (Robert); her stepdaughter, Debbie Lovro, (Marv); three grandsons; Kent, Ryan (Janet) and David (Heidi) Breese; two step-grandsons, Eric (Jen) and Brett (Nicole) Lovro. She had 11 great-grandchildren: Timothy, Keegan, Ryan Junior, Elizabeth, Peter, Dayna, Margaret, Arabella, Amelia, Lucy and Finley Breese and seven step-grandchildren: Cole, Brynja, Gavin, Noa, Wilder, Shep and Macauley Lovro.
Please join the family for Ann's Celebration of Life on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. at The Bella Vista Funeral Home, 2258 Forest Hills Blvd., Bella Vista, Ark. Interment is scheduled at The Woodlawn Cemetery in Sioux Falls, S.D., on June 17, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.
Tax-deductible memorials in Ann's name may be made to: The Bella Vista Animal Shelter, PO Box 5248 Bella Vista AR 72714 or Hillsdale College 33 E. College St., Hillsdale, Michigan, 49242.
On-line condolences may be made at www.funeralmation.com.

Published May 31, 2022