Lyman's Autobiography
May 9, 2021
Lyman Nils Youngberg (April 15, 1938 – May 2, 2021)
Lyman Nils Youngberg, 83 of Orovada, Nevada was born on April 15, 1938 in San Francisco, California. He passed away peacefully in care on May 2, 2021, just weeks after celebrating his 83rd birthday with friends and family during which he was in good spirits.
Lyman was born to John Carlisle Youngberg, a California native and Florence Lyon Merriam of Lyons Falls, New York. Growing up, horseback riding was an integral part of family life for Lyman, his sister and both parents. As a young boy in the 1950’s, Lyman began his life-long love affair with ranch life. He worked weekends and summers at a family friend’s ranch in Olema, California, and later worked at a ranch in Likely, California where sagebrush took to his veins.
Lyman graduated from Sir Francis Drake Highschool in San Anselmo, California in 1957, and once wrote, “I hated school and I don’t think they appreciated me much either”. It probably wasn’t that they didn’t appreciate him so much, as they didn’t appreciate him driving his car through the hallways of the school. The girls, however, we are told, enjoyed it very much. In August of 1957, at age 19, Lyman was called to active duty in the navy, and was assigned to the Naval Air Flight Squadron where he served as a flight captain. He once wrote that, during his last two cruises, he had time to think about his future and would dream about his horses, the ranches, meadows, cattle, and the smell of sage brush, and so after serving his tour of duty and a few close calls Lyman returned home.
After the Navy, Lyman married (Cynthia Ann Stull, of San Rafael, California) and started a family while attending Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo where he majored in Animal Husbandry. Lyman’s father urged him to continue his education and become a veterinarian, but after finishing his degree in Animal Science at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado, Lyman followed his arrow instead toward his true ambition: meadows, cattle and sagebrush!
Through the years, Lyman continued to work ranches in Colorado, California, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada, and throughout that time also worked shoeing horses and as a bank appraiser to support his family. In 1993, Lyman finally realized his dream of owning his own ranch, Flat Creek, in Orovada, NV. He continued to run cattle from Flat Creek until 2009, at which point he decided to “retire” at the age of 71.He downsized to a smaller place in Orovada where he still kept a number of horses and cattle, while also continuing his hobbies of leathermaking, creating horsehair ropes, roasting pinion nuts, as well as serving on the local fire brigade.
Lyman was a father, a grandpa, a great grandpa, a brother and an uncle. He was also an artist, a historian, a lifelong learner, a craftsman, a fly fisherman, an arrowhead collector, a cowboy philosopher, a reader, a lover of Mariachi music, a friend and loyal member of the cowboy community. He was tough on the outside, but deep down, a softy, and sometimes known as “The Last Gringo”. He probably was also known as a couple other of things not appropriate for this publication. He had such a rich life and made friendships that he maintained until the day he passed. If you knew him, you knew that twinkle in his eye. The depth of people who will miss and remember him fondly is vast.
Lyman’s survivors include his children Eric Youngberg and his wife Alex, Annie Youngberg, Staci Ericson and her husband Todd, Sarah Gagliardi and her husband Jim, and Lyman’s sister Lynda Sayre and husband Bob. His grandchildren include Joseph Winterton, Nicholas Cassar with wife Reshinda, Mimi Ericson, Ash Ericson, Olivia Gagliardi, and Hugh Gagliardi. His great grandchildren include Dylan, Addison and Ashlyn Cassar.
** Service details are forthcoming **
Lyman Nils Youngberg, 83 of Orovada, Nevada was born on April 15, 1938 in San Francisco, California. He passed away peacefully in care on May 2, 2021, just weeks after celebrating his 83rd birthday with friends and family during which he was in good spirits.
Lyman was born to John Carlisle Youngberg, a California native and Florence Lyon Merriam of Lyons Falls, New York. Growing up, horseback riding was an integral part of family life for Lyman, his sister and both parents. As a young boy in the 1950’s, Lyman began his life-long love affair with ranch life. He worked weekends and summers at a family friend’s ranch in Olema, California, and later worked at a ranch in Likely, California where sagebrush took to his veins.
Lyman graduated from Sir Francis Drake Highschool in San Anselmo, California in 1957, and once wrote, “I hated school and I don’t think they appreciated me much either”. It probably wasn’t that they didn’t appreciate him so much, as they didn’t appreciate him driving his car through the hallways of the school. The girls, however, we are told, enjoyed it very much. In August of 1957, at age 19, Lyman was called to active duty in the navy, and was assigned to the Naval Air Flight Squadron where he served as a flight captain. He once wrote that, during his last two cruises, he had time to think about his future and would dream about his horses, the ranches, meadows, cattle, and the smell of sage brush, and so after serving his tour of duty and a few close calls Lyman returned home.
After the Navy, Lyman married (Cynthia Ann Stull, of San Rafael, California) and started a family while attending Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo where he majored in Animal Husbandry. Lyman’s father urged him to continue his education and become a veterinarian, but after finishing his degree in Animal Science at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado, Lyman followed his arrow instead toward his true ambition: meadows, cattle and sagebrush!
Through the years, Lyman continued to work ranches in Colorado, California, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada, and throughout that time also worked shoeing horses and as a bank appraiser to support his family. In 1993, Lyman finally realized his dream of owning his own ranch, Flat Creek, in Orovada, NV. He continued to run cattle from Flat Creek until 2009, at which point he decided to “retire” at the age of 71.He downsized to a smaller place in Orovada where he still kept a number of horses and cattle, while also continuing his hobbies of leathermaking, creating horsehair ropes, roasting pinion nuts, as well as serving on the local fire brigade.
Lyman was a father, a grandpa, a great grandpa, a brother and an uncle. He was also an artist, a historian, a lifelong learner, a craftsman, a fly fisherman, an arrowhead collector, a cowboy philosopher, a reader, a lover of Mariachi music, a friend and loyal member of the cowboy community. He was tough on the outside, but deep down, a softy, and sometimes known as “The Last Gringo”. He probably was also known as a couple other of things not appropriate for this publication. He had such a rich life and made friendships that he maintained until the day he passed. If you knew him, you knew that twinkle in his eye. The depth of people who will miss and remember him fondly is vast.
Lyman’s survivors include his children Eric Youngberg and his wife Alex, Annie Youngberg, Staci Ericson and her husband Todd, Sarah Gagliardi and her husband Jim, and Lyman’s sister Lynda Sayre and husband Bob. His grandchildren include Joseph Winterton, Nicholas Cassar with wife Reshinda, Mimi Ericson, Ash Ericson, Olivia Gagliardi, and Hugh Gagliardi. His great grandchildren include Dylan, Addison and Ashlyn Cassar.
** Service details are forthcoming **
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Fishing in Lyons Falls
May 11, 2021
by Lynda Sayre
When I was around 14 and my brother Lyman around 11, our mother took us on a trip from California to New York state where her mother and many other family members still lived. We went to the family home in upstate New York in the town of Lyons Falls. My cousin Merriam was five years older than I. One night he asked me if I’d like to go fishing with him early in the morning and I said yes. So around 6 o’clock he threw a little pebble on my window and I ran down to meet him to go fishing. Many years later my brother, laughing, told me that he saw us leaving and was furious that he had not been included.