When William Penry met Jeanne Staab in 1966, he had no idea that they would be together 50 years later.

After working in military intelligence at the Pentagon, William decided to move their young family back to Omaha to pursue a career in business. Jeanne brought along her innate sense of style and created her interior design business, Jeanne’s Design.

“Style is something you can have very young in life and make anything become lovely with little or nothing,” Jeanne said. Whether wearing chic Parisian silhouettes and a signature headband, or designing a home or business with an elegant balance of vintage and modern, Jeanne firmly believes that personal style takes time. “You don’t make a home look beautiful within a year, it should take time and travel to make it look extra special. And like you.”

William also thinks that while fashion may happen instantly, the good stuff takes a while. “Style is part of your inherent personal quality and part of your character. It’s what you have evolved into.” And although she’s the designer in the family, William is never without a pressed button-down shirt, well-worn desert boots, or one his playfully intellectual round-frame glasses that he wears with preppy sensibility. 

This article first appeared in the 60 Plus section of the January/February issue of Omaha Magazine. Click here to subscribe to the print edition.