Joe Kenneth Yarbrough

Joe Kenneth Yarbrough (1936 2016) Joe Kenneth Yarbrough was born August 29, 1936, in Armistead, LA , and resided in Vancouver, WA. He passed away on Monday, March 28, 2016 in Hillsboro, OR at the age of 79. Joe grew up on a farm near Coushatta, LA. He watched over his younger siblings and cooked for his family, while his dad worked in the fields and his mom worked in the local store/post office. Joe graduated from Coushatta High School in 1954. He enjoyed his school years, keeping in touch with classmates and he looked forward to reunions. He attended Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA. After college, he was employed at Woolworth's Department Stores in Shreveport and Monroe, LA. Moving to Dallas, TX, Joe began working for Braniff International Airlines at Love Field Airport. He moved with Braniff to JFK Airport, New York City, NY in 1966. His future wife, Rosmarie C. Baeumer, sold flight insurance in the same building as Braniff. Braniff then opened business in Portland OR; Joe requested a transfer to Portland International Airport because he had relatives in the area. Rosmarie was working for Air Canada at JFK in New York when Joe invited her to visit him in Portland. He picked her up in Vancouver, BC and surprised her with an engagement ring. In 1967, they married in Stroudsburg, PA and settled in Vancouver, WA. Joe was ground supervisor for Braniff in Portland. He was then employed by Western Airlines, at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage, AK, before moving back to Portland International Airport. Western then merged with Delta Airlines, and Joe was a supervisor for both international flights and Delta's Crown Room. He retired from Delta Airlines in November 1998. After retirement, Joe enjoyed going to frequent luncheons with Western and Delta retirees. Joe especially enjoyed his travels around the world with his family: Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, and Canada to name a few, and he visited his daughter and her family in Okinawa in 1998. He and his wife Rosmarie also enjoyed several Princess cruises to Alaska and the Panama Canal. Joe was an avid gardener, loved to read, play Solitaire, and spend time with his grandchildren. Preceding Mr. Yarbrough in death were his parents, Denzil LeRoy Yarbrough and Hazel Edith Quick Yarbrough; maternal grandparents Robert A. Quick and Merica Vaught Quick; paternal grandparents, Harvey Lee Yarbrough and Dolly Campbell Yarbrough and step mother, Jenny Morgan Yarbrough; brother, Alton Yarbrough and wife, Gwendolyn, Grenada, MS; sister, Lutrella "Polly" Yarbrough Stubblefield and husband Roy, Santa Paula, CA; and step brother Rex Nichols and wife Veta, Pineville, LA. Those left behind to cherish his memory are his wife, Rosmarie C. Baeumer Yarbrough; his daughter, Bettina and her husband Kelly; daughter Sabrina; grandsons Jordan and Nikolas; granddaughters Isabel, Samantha and Jill; all residing in the Vancouver, WA area. He is also survived by his brother, Bobby Yarbrough and wife Virginia, Evelyn, LA; sister, Joyce Moseley, Coushatta, LA; niece, Lynn Leming and husband, Thomas, Marshall, TX; nephews: Robert Yarbrough and wife Amy, Coushatta, LA and Brian Moseley and wife Dana, Keithville, LA; great nephew, Stephen Bedsole, Austin, Texas; great nieces, Erin Yarbrough, Haughton, LA, and Savannah Moseley, Keithville, LA and a number of cousins and other family members. There will be a celebration of Joe's life on Saturday, April 16, 2016 at Evergreen Memorial Gardens, 1101 NE 112th Avenue, Vancouver WA 98684 at 3:30pm. Donations in Joe's memory may be made to Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, CA Guide Dogs for the Blind PO Box 17068 Baltimore, MD 21297-0334 donations@guidedogs.com

Joe Kenneth Yarbrough

August 29, 1936 - March 28, 2016