Bruce Neal Yarborough

Bruce N. Yarborough took leave of this world on January 16, 2020 due to heart disease caused by exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Following a devastating stroke in 2015, Bruce fought valiantly for more than four years in the hopes of seeing President Trump win re-election in 2020. But, alas, he was just not strong enough to face another Superbowl without the Patriots. He was 77 years old at the time of his death.

Bruce was born on July 28, 1942 in Arizona, to Alton and Iola Yarborough. The family moved to Phoenix when he was 3, and if you think it’s hard walking to school 5 miles in the snow…uphill both ways…try out a summer (or 13) in Phoenix without air conditioning! Bruce got his first job at the age of 9, selling fresh eggs for 35 cents a dozen, earning 5 cents for each dozen he sold, plus a bonus 5 cent ice-cream cone if he and his partner sold 15 dozen eggs before noon. He scrupulously saved those nickels, and one of his proudest achievements was purchasing an $18 Rawlings baseball glove with money he had earned on his own. In 8th grade, his family moved to San Diego, where he attended La Jolla High School (a year behind Raquel Welch). His next job was for a major redemption center, and he took with him the secret that haunts many a baby boomer to this day…exactly what DID happen to all of those S&H green stamp booklets after our moms traded them in for a toaster or x-acto pocket knife for us to give to our fathers on Father’s Day? After high school, he was selected as a regular Navy ROTC midshipman. He attended Oregon State University and graduated as an Ensign. He married the former Susan Teuscher and moved to San Diego, where he was assigned to sea duty for the next 5 years, including 3 deployments to Vietnam. Movies that he filmed of the North Vietnamese shore batteries firing at (and nearly hitting) his ship were excitedly purchased and featured on the Huntley-Brinkley Report. To this day, they remain in the archives of both the Huntley-Brinkley Report and the U.S.S. Newport News.

A month after his resignation from the Navy, on his 27th birthday, Bruce was sworn in as a Special Agent of the FBI. He enjoyed an illustrious career over the next 27 ½ years…becoming an FBI firearms instructor for over 20 years and a SWAT team member for 14 years. The FBI firearms training course is extremely challenging, and less than 4% of agents ever shoot a perfect score, or a ‘possible’. Shooting a possible is so rare, in fact, that those who succeed, get their names engraved on a plaque at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico, VA. Bruce shot a possible 3 times. He also did exhibition shooting, including splitting a bullet on the blade of an axe…with each half bullet then going on to pop balloons on either side of the axe. Bruce and Susan were divorced in 1979 and he married Dimitri Friedrich the following year. He and Dimitri moved to Las Vegas shortly thereafter and that’s where he spent most of the remaining years of his career and life. Bruce had enough amazing and exciting experiences as an FBI agent to fill this entire newspaper (or, quite possibly, a book). Unfortunately, the Las Vegas Review Journal charges for these listings by the column inch, so we must reluctantly save that for another time.

Bruce and Dimitri divorced in 1995, and he retired from the FBI in 1997. That is the same year he met Mary Mattson. They were wed on Valentine’s Day 1998. He taught Mary many amazing things, such as the indisputable fact that anything can be fixed (including torn leather office chairs) with duct tape or super glue. He was ruthless when it came to hunting down criminals of all kinds or eradicating ants or any other pest who dared to invade his home, (he also shot “possibles” with Windex”), yet he was the gentlest of souls when it came to nurturing puppies, kittens, and fledgling cacti that would sprout in the yard. He had many collections, including T-shirts from places he traveled to, rock spheres (don’t ask), golf clubs, ball caps, anything signed by Greg Maddux, and, of course, wives. He loved early mornings, hot tubs, the color purple, sunflower seeds, mangoes, sunbathing, and beautiful women. His last complete sentence to his wife Mary was uttered three days before his death as she walked into his room wearing one of his favorite sweaters. He looked up at her and said, “What a rack!”

A year after retiring from the FBI, Bruce became an Investigator for the Nevada State Contractor's Board for two years and then worked as a Background Investigator for the Gaming Control board for over ten years. Bruce discovered golf late in life, but it quickly became a passion of his. A favorite mantra of his was “Honey, I can change almost anything, but I can’t change a tee-time!” He played golf at least three times a week and worked as an investigator with the Nevada Attorney General, Private Investigators Licensing Board up until the day of his stroke. Bruce was preceded in death by his mother and father, his sister, Sandy, and his daughter, Dee-Ann Cornelius. In addition to his wives, Bruce is survived by his daughter Jo Lee Landry (Dustin), son Travis Yarborough (Cara), grandchildren Chelsea, Paisley, Karleigh, Cody Dan, Jimmy, Jessica, Jacob, Carson, and Jordan. He is also survived by great grandsons Felix and Logan. The list of loving family members goes on with stepchildren and grandchildren who love him very much, including Austin Mattson III (Jessica), Jason Mattson (Jenny), and Alyssa Mattson-Goodell (John) and grandchildren Hailey, Ethan, Maddox, Talyn, Victoria, Landon, and Austin.

Bruce did not want a funeral, with sadness and crying. Instead, he wanted a Celebration of Life, with food and laughter. One will be held at 6:30 pm on March 7, 2020. Anyone wishing to attend is kindly asked to send an email to [email protected]. From there, details will be sent to you. If you have a favorite story or memory of Bruce to share, please write it down so Mary can create a booklet for his children and grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, Bruce has requested that the next time you are at a fast food drive-thru, pay for the person behind you. There isn’t enough kindness in the world. People often say “I love you to the moon and back” but for us, the moos isn’t nearly far enough away. Bruce, we love you forever…to infinity and beyond!