Ronald Henry Yarbrough

Ronald Henry Yarbrough a.k.a Ron, Ronnie, Runnie, Ronkey, Sunshine, Babe, Dad, Daddy, Daddy-o, Pop, went home to be with the Lord July 12, 2019 at the age of 64. An Atlanta native, he was born April 6, 1955 to Martha and Henry and his “much older sister,” Pam. He grew up in Decatur on Janet Lane where he made several lifelong friends that became family, including his wife, Glenda. He graduated from Towers High School, class of ‘74. After his Air Force service which he claimed was like hitting the lottery, he had a few jobs before settling in at the Snellville post office, where he later retired to become a crappie club member. He was a dedicated hard worker at the USPS to provide a very comfortable life for his family. He sacrificed by working very early shifts so he could be home when his kids got off the bus and he could play catch in the yard and coach their ball teams. He never missed a game or recital of his kids or grands. He took all their sports very seriously, whether it was 3 year old soccer or travel high school baseball. He taught his kids not to do things “half-assed” and to take care of your stuff, especially your car. Keep it washed and waxed, change the oil, and don’t buy cheap tires. He was a wealth of useless information about cars, history, sports, and music, most of which was true.

He was a loyal husband of nearly 43 years, 5 of the happiest years of his life, he would joke. He equally drove his wife crazy, and gave her butterflies, just like he was supposed to. She was his favorite person. The title of favorite child has been the subject of many heated discussions, so we will call it a tie between his daughter, Jessica, and his son, Andy. His three grandchildren, Guy Henry (6), Roxanne (4), and Oscar (1), are the smartest, best looking, funniest, all around most impressive children in the history of the world and he spoiled them accordingly.

He was a good neighbor and friend, driving kids to school and cutting lawns, and always happy and willing to lend a hand.

He never held back his feelings of love and pride and gave big, long, tight hugs. He always said thinking about his kids made his heart soar like wings on eagles and would brag on his kids and grands endlessly. Spelling was not his strong suit, and more than once signed cards or notes with “I love you, sweaty. Dad.”

His true loves besides his family and his dogs were the USA, cars, especially Chevy trucks and hot rods, Georgia Bulldogs football, music, especially but far from limited to the Beatles and the Allman Brothers, fishing on his boat, animals and YouTube videos about those things. He also loved people in general and never met a stranger. It didn’t matter if you met him on an elevator, rung him up, waited on him at a restaurant, or stood beside him in line, he needed to know where you were from so he could talk to you about that area and their sports teams. He was unable to keep a secret.

He had a big personality, a huge heart, and leaves an even bigger hole in his loved ones lives. They were far from finished with him.

As the Beatles told us, And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. So, he takes with him huge amounts of love. So much love.

A celebration of his special life will be held Sunday, July 21, 2019 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Vecoma at the Yellow River, 4400 Vecoma Lane, Snellville, Georgia; an informal service and memory sharing will begin at 6:00 PM. UGA attire or colors are encouraged. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Ron’s honor to the North Georgia Crappie Anglers, Attn: Fishing with Military Heroes, 5640 Six Mile Ridge Rd., Cumming, GA 30041.

And in other news, Bass Pro Shop reports a steep decline in sales.