William Edward Yarbrough

William Edward “Bill” Yarbrough was born on January 4, 1944 and passed through the “valley of the shadow of death” on his way to paradise to await the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

Bill was preceded in death by his dad

 Floyd W. “Pod” Yarbrough and is mother Rubie L. Humphreys Yarbrough, sister Cynthia Rand “Cindy” Yarbrough Saxton and husband Billy F. Saxton.  He is survived by his brother Thomas T. Yarbrough and wife Linda L. Langford Yarbrough of Nacogdoches, daughter Melanie Black and husband Kerry of Alto TX., Niece Kelly Motley and husband James of Crosby, TX., Nephew Keith Yarbrough and wife Jana of Montgomery TX, grandchildren Colton and Caleb, grand nephews Cody and Casey, many cousins and close friends.

Bill was a graduate of Garrison High School where he played football, basketball and excelled in track and field.  Before graduation Bill was Baptized into Christ at the Garrison Church of Christ.  Just after high school Bill, Toddy and friend John Morrison joined the U.S. Air force.  Bill proudly served his country for four years (July 1962 - July 1966).  After basic training at Lackland AFB he was assigned to electronics tech school at Biloxi Mississippi AFB specializing in aircraft electronics and guidance systems.  After training he was assigned for 2 years at McDill AFB in Tampa, FL.  His last years of service were spent in Vietnam he was stationed at Cam Ranh Bay, an island just off the Vietnam mainland.  He served in Vietnam as an aircraft navigation specialist for F-4C fighter aircraft.  While on Cam Ranh Bay Bill was exposed many times to clouds of the defoliant, agent orange drifting from the mainland that inevitably, in later years, caused many and most of the illnesses that he had.

After his military service, Bill returned home, married and they had their daughter Melanie.  Bill worked at Southland Paper Mill in Lufkin for a couple of years until he and a friend started a home siding business.  After a few years of the siding business, Bill started is own home improvement business in the Garrison/Nacogdoches area.  While in the military Bill started singing and learned to play the drums.  So after the military service he started playing music with local country and western bands.  He loved music so much that after encouragement from his then wife Nancy, he decided to make an album.  After many hours of work in a Tyler recording studio, the album was finished and taken to Nashville where 2 producers were hired and the album was released.  The record business is very tough, expensive and competitive so after a couple of hard years Bill decided to go back home to the home improvement business from which he retired around 2014/2015 and made his home in Nacogdoches until his death.

In his retirement years Bill helped care for his two Aunts an Uncle and his mother until their deaths.  His love and passion for music continued so he still sang and made music at home and when he felt like it, he would go to Encore recording studio in Nacogdoches and would record CD's.  During his last few years of his life he would go have breakfast most mornings at Kinfolk's where he met and made many close friends.  He loved his Kinfolk's friends and fellowship where they solved most of the worlds problems.

Bill found God and was redeemed during the later years of his life, when he and Toddy began reading the Bible about two plus years ago.  They read 2-3 days a week covering about half the Old Testament and all of the New Testament twice.  He said he could feel the Holy Spirit moving in him.  He prayed more, talked about God and Christ and could ask a lot of thought provoking questions especially about the end of times and Christ second coming.  He discussed and studied these events with Toddy and friend John Harris as long as his health would let him up until the day he passed on to the glorious world of God.

In leu of flowers please donate to Cold Springs Cemetery Fund.

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