Phyllis Mae Yoest

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regardless of vaccination status.

Phyllis Mae Springer Yoest was born Aug. 20, 1939, in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. She launched a nursing career at Lincoln General Hospital in 1961, and for nearly 50 years devoted herself to caring for children and the families about to welcome them – first as a nurse, and later as a professor in Davenport, Iowa, and the Omaha area.

Phyllis enjoyed golf, college football, dancing and classical music. She read voraciously, tearing through novels and cooking magazines where she’d find new recipes – the more exotic, the better – but stayed true to the classics, churning out hundreds of Christmas cookies and candies each year. Her gardens were gorgeous, from the peonies she loved in Davenport to the lilies and vegetables she tended in Omaha. She loved being well-dressed, and when she finally retired from Clarkson College she worked at women’s clothing stores – for the discounts, and for a way to stay busy.

Those things brought her joy. But her true passion and purpose were loving on babies and helping families thrive.

In 1983 Phyllis created Friends of New Parents, a nonprofit that helped reduce child abuse rates in Davenport, Iowa. At UNMC, where she earned her master’s degree, she conducted some of the first research on teen fathers’ mental health. She helped deliver countless babies, and taught scores of expectant couples what to expect during labor. (Nurses helping new moms had to meet Phyllis’ standards: She helped write the labor & delivery portions of the national nurse licensing exam.)

Phyllis was the professor who expected much from students, but showed them abundant grace. Honor her memory by valuing excellence and the road toward it.

She was the person who played peekaboo with babies in nearby pews and grocery store lines. Honor her memory by delighting a child.

And she was the friend who helped plan dances and trips to concerts and plays. Phyllis loved to drive other seniors to the polls or the tax prep office. Honor her memory by making plans with someone you haven’t seen in a while – especially if those plans include good music or a gin gimlet. Preferably both.

She was fiercely proud of her grandchildren: Madeline and Sam Pederson of Arlington, Texas; Margaret, Donovan and Mae Yoest of Chicago; and Josephine Yoest and Jack Bradley of Omaha. (She’d want you to know about them first.) Other survivors include a daughter, Sarah Pederson of Arlington, Texas; son Mark Yoest and wife Sara of Chicago; and son John Yoest and wife Erin Bradley of Omaha. They’re eternally grateful to Jack Leehy of Blair for the 17 years of love and laughter he and Phyllis shared.