Margaret Mary (Balas) Young

Margaret Mary Young (nee Balas), age 75, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 with her loving family by her side.

Margaret was born on September 13, 1944 in Queens, New York. She grew up in Norwood, NJ with her sister who describes her as “a trailblazer”. Immediately after high school, she moved to the Big Apple and worked at Avon and Bloomingdale’s as a showroom designer. Eventually she took a job at an architectural firm where she met her husband, Andrew. Within a few years, they moved to Barrington, IL where she lived and raised her three children. Margaret shared her love of art and culture with her children. Every Christmas holiday she took them to see “The Nutcracker” or “A Christmas Carol” in downtown Chicago. She taught them how to cook and passed down recipes of her specialties: jambalaya and homemade tomato sauce.  She shared her love of gardening with her son, and together they built welcoming gardens with her favorite flowers, hydrangeas and zinnias, at her home. Margaret embodied an intense competitive spirit that often came out in tennis and, most recently, the monthly bridge games with her friends where she took pride in winning the cash pot at the end of the night. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Margaret is survived by her loving children, Christopher Young, Kimberly Young, and Heather (Randy) Gianfagna; grandchildren, Sophia, Nate and Mia Gianfagna; sister, Veronica Londergan; and nephews, Seth and Sean Londergan.

Preceded in death by her beloved husband of 50 years, Andrew Joseph Young; and brother-in-law, Walter Londergan.

Visitation will be held on Monday December 16th, 2019 from 9:00am until the time of service at 11:00am at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 149 W. Main Street (Lake-Cook Rd) Barrington, IL 60010. Interment to follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Barrington, IL.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.