Carl Donham Youngberg, 83, died on Jan. 25, 2026, after a lengthy illness. The son of Axel Bernhardt Youngberg and Clara Bell Donham, he and his sister Linda were born in Parkville, Mo., and grew up on a farm. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a masters in counseling and social psychology, and after college, joined the newly-formed Peace Corps where he served for three years in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, as a professor of psychology at the National University of Honduras. He received training in international education through UCLA in Los Angeles as preparation for working in the university’s School of Medicine.
Carl maintained his Peace Corps connections throughout his life and in later years, participated in mission trips to impoverished mountain villages in Honduras.
In November 1969, he married Cathy Gammon and they became parents to daughter Laura. Carl embarked on his 20-plus-year career in luxury retailing, beginning at Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store in New York City where he was the first professional training and development executive in charge of executive development focusing on stores, operations and transportation. Subsequent moves for Saks took him to Boston, St. Louis and Los Angeles, as he eventually became a regional director of store operations for the West Coast.
Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue were the training grounds for his own company, Concepts 3 Inc. He traveled the world extensively and worked closely with many of the legends including Julia Child and Stanley Marcus.
Also known as Chef Carl at Neiman-Marcus (complete with costume), he embodied the finest aspects of the luxury retail industry. He is a published author of Make Yourself Matter, Become Your Own Best Asset. Additionally, Carl and his partner David wrote and developed the highly successful Interview-to-Win Boot Camp.
In his heyday, he and David McNair hosted 10 events with more than 100 people per year in their garden and home to benefit the city of Richardson, The North Texas Peace Corps, the Cultural Arts commission, and Richardson Adult Literacy’s Murder Mystery and to support aspiring writers and professional artists. Supporting the Arts was a major focus for Carl, and through that effort, he was awarded the prestigious Heart of The Arts Award in 2006 for helping create and launch the Eiseman Center for Performing Arts in Richardson. He founded the Waterview Preservation Homeowner Association 15 years ago and added bike lanes, entrance signs, street signs and landscaping, Additionally, Carl had a deep connection to his church in every area and was awarded the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration’s highest honor of Tau Cross & Crown award in 1985.
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. He served on the board of trustees and formed the Dads Club at Ursuline Academy. Over the the last 10 years he was a theater critic with Dallas Morning News, his theater column morphing 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. He changed lives and made an impact with his sharp wit, humor and storytelling.
He is survived by his husband David L. McNair, his daughter Laura Youngberg (Grace Pederson), stepdaughters Erin McNair (William Goodwin Eschelman) and Morgan McNair Bertolotti (Giordano Bertolotti) and grandchildren William and Anton Youngberg, and former son-in-law Chris Nelson. He was also survived by grandchildren Giovanni and Massimo.
A requiem eucharist service will be held on Friday, March 27, at 4 p.m. at Episcopal Church of Transfiguration, 14115 Hillcrest Road. The service will stream live that day, March 27. The service will be followed by inurnment and a reception at the church. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Episcopal Church of Transfiguration, North Texas Peace Corp Association or the Richardson Public Library.