Josie H. Yearry

Loving, honest, dedicated and especially, faithful are just a few of many words to describe Josie Yearry. Josie was a faithful friend. She was also a faithful wife displaying a "gentle and quiet spirit." Josie was a truly devoted mother, grandmother, and great grandmother as well, never forgetting a birthday and always sending cards. She was the first to arrive in a time of need and faithfully stood by to support those she loved

In Bald Knob, Arkansas on June 27, 1923, Josie was welcomed into the world by her mother, Hattie, brother and three sisters. Josie's father, Joseph, had passed away just a few months before she was born. It was a lonely and difficult time for her mother, but with the help of family she was able to keep her small family going. Eventually, Josie's mother remarried and later welcomed a brother for her who was nine years younger.

Spending her childhood years as the youngest child in the family left Josie with very few household responsibilities. Her three older sisters took care of most things around the home as well as taking care of her. She ended up spending lots of time enjoying the outdoors. Josie would whittle wood into toy guns, make sling slots from a forked tree branch and play outside all day long. She walked two miles down the hillside each day for school and completed her education through eighth grade in their small town schoolhouse. As a young teenager, Josie cherished her guitar. She would play and sing and imagine herself traveling the world as a famous musician. In her later teen years she began to dance and carried that love throughout her life.

Josie met George Allen Yearry in 1943 and after six dates they knew they had found their soul mates. George went by "Buck", and on May 27, 1943 the couple officially tied the knot. The couple celebrated their wedding by having a large family dinner and the next day they packed their bags and headed to Michigan on the back of a flat bed truck. For the young lovers to make ends meet they did farm labor and picked fruit. There were many trips back to Arkansas, especially during the winter months, but that first winter the couple stayed in Michigan and welcomed their son, Joe into their arms. Two years later, while working on a farm in Hot Springs, Arkansas the couple had their daughter, JoAnn. Two years after that, also in Arkansas, Johnny was born. They had been helping Buck's mother on her farm at that time. When their oldest, Joe was five, Josie just didn't feel he was big enough to start school so she had him wait a year. By the time he was six, they were settled in Fennville, MI and he headed to school. When their youngest, Johnny was ready for kindergarten, the couple had bought a 63 acre farm with a hundred year old farmhouse just south of Holland. The family lived there until 1964 when Buck was transferred to South Carolina with his company, Holland Hitch.

Throughout the years, Josie spent time working at Heinz and then at Howard Miller Clock Company. She was a fast worker and she could efficiently set the pace for the other piece workers which didn't always make them so happy. She left that job in 1963 and officially retired. Josie never really learned her way around the kitchen growing up, so as a young bride she had a lot to learn. After many burned biscuits, she mastered the dough and learned to create the lightest buttermilk biscuits- fit for royalty. Josie loved to fish and the first real vacation the family took together was to the Upper Peninsula for a week of fishing. Josie and Buck often talked about traveling together but traveling north and south to visit family was a far as they went. They put their money away and eventually bought a small outboard fishing boat where they spent many hours together fishing on the water. Hunting was also a great pastime for Josie. She preferred hunting small game like rabbits and squirrels.

Josie attended Saugatuck Christian Reformed Church and she was grateful for the teachings of Pastor Dave and Ruth. JoAnn and her family attended there, as well as many friends, so both fellowship and worship times seemed especially nice. Josie never spent a lot of time in front of the television, however, through the years she enjoyed a good John Wayne flick as well as keeping up with the soaps of Days of Our Lives and Another World. The love of music stayed in her heart since her teen years and although country music was her favorite she also loved gospel. "Amazing Grace" held a special place in Josie's heart and only the traditional version of the song would do. Josie was joyfully blessed with seven grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren. She was a wonderful grandmother and knew how to make them feel special. No holiday would be complete with out Grandma Josie's homemade cream pies. She also began a tradition with her grandchildren which they continued on in their family. She spread pizza dough thinly across the bottom of a pie pan and let each child create their own pan pizza. The family had a wonderful celebration for Josie and Buck's forty-fifth wedding anniversary. The memories were especially sweet because just a few months before their fiftieth anniversary, Buck passed away, in 1992. Losing her husband was painful and it was especially hard because the couple had lost their son, Johnny at the young age of twenty-three.

Josie knew she was blessed with a family who loved her dearly. She proudly wore the teddy bear sweat-suit which her daughter-in-law, Kathryn made her that displayed all the names of her grandchildren. She also cherished her mother's ring and grandma necklace. Josie Yearry will be lovingly remembered as a woman who loved her family, her God and her friends. She lived life beautifully and she will be dearly missed.

Josie H. Yearry age 82 of Holland , died Sunday, October 9, 2005 at Resthaven Care Center . She was preceded in death by her husband-George in 1992 and a son-Johnny in 1971. Surviving are her children-Joseph and Kathryn Yearry of Denmark , SC and JoAnn and Thomas DeJonge of Holland ; 7 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren; and several nephews, nieces, and cousins. Services will be 11:00a.m.Wednesday at the Dykstra Life Story Funeral Homes-Downtown Chapel 29 East 9th Street with the Rev. David Van Der Wiele officiating. Burial will be in the Pilgrim Home Cemetery . Visiting will be 4:00p.m.-7:00p.m.Tuesday at the chapel. Please visit Josie's personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can share a memory, order flowers on-line or make a memorial contribution. Memorials may be made to the Saugatuck Christian Reformed Church Mission Fund.