Shelby Beach Yancey

Shelby Jean Beach Yancey, age 85, of Crescent Springs, Kentucky, and formerly of the Mt. Pisgah and Poplar Grove communities, passed away September 27, 2026.

Born November 18, 1940, she was the daughter of the late Woodrow and Olive Beach. Shelby spent much of her childhood throughout Northern Kentucky, but Mt. Pisgah was the place she most often called home growing up. It was there that she married the love of her life, Lloyd Thomas Yancey, before moving to the Poplar Grove community in Owen County, where they built their life together. In her later years, Shelby made her home in Crescent Springs.

Shelby graduated from Holmes High School in 1960 and worked for many years as the local hairdresser in Poplar Grove before assuming a role in the Kroger bakery. In her later years, she became a familiar and beloved face in the front lobby at McDonald’s in Crescent Springs. She took great pride in her work and continued working until some of her very last days. Shelby genuinely loved people, and whether she was helping a customer, welcoming someone through the door, or simply sharing a conversation, she had a way of making people feel known.

She was a longtime member of Poplar Grove Baptist Church, and after moving to Crescent Springs, she attended Immanuel Church in Lakeside Park.

Shelby was proudest of her family. She loved her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren deeply and took tremendous pride in the lives they built and the education they gained.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd Thomas Yancey; her parents, Woodrow and Olive Beach; and her sister, Nadine Ballard.

She is survived by her sister, Rita Beach (Kathryn Gail Bailey), along with her children, Lynda (Garry) Jackson and Thomas (Leanne) Yancey; her grandchildren, Brittney Howell, Mika Stevenson, Brandon Jackson, Jeff Jackson, Hayden Yancey, Blair Yancey, and Lauren Payton; and eleven great-grandchildren.

Near the end of her life, Shelby reflected on more than 85 years of memories and wrote a note, “What a wonderful life I had. Wouldn’t change a thing.”

Family will receive friends for visitation at 202 North Main Street, Owenton, KY,  on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 from 11 am until 1 pm.  Funeral services will follow at 1 pm with burial in the Poplar Grove Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Poplar Grove Cemetery.