Joe "Poppa" Yates. Born in Orlando, Florida to Elsie Buchanan. Growing up in Orlando was great. Climate was great and you could be outside most of the year. Daytona Beach was 62 miles away. My sister lived in the country just outside of Orlando. I spent many summers exploring the nearby woods, a pond and a swamp.
I graduated from William R. Boone High School and attended Orlando Junior College. I was in the first graduating class at Johnson County Community College. I graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor's Degree in Microbiology. I graduated from UMKC with a Master's Degree in Health Services Administration.
Walt Disney and the Mouse came to town and literally changed my hometown. It was not a good change in my opinion. It has been said that you can never go back and that is so true.
To get away from Orlando, I joined the Navy to see the world. Turns out the Navy's idea of the world was Olathe, Kansas. I spent 3 years at the Olathe Naval Air Station. Two wonderful things happened because I served in Olathe. I met my wife to be, Cheryl Frietsch Yates, a wonderful woman, when I worked at her father's Mobil Station intermittently for years. I got 36 months of the G.I. Bill, at $350 a month that paid for everything: rent, transportation, tuition and fees. Back then a full load at KU was $114 a semester.
Right out of the Navy I worked for King Radio (Bendix) in Olathe. After graduation, I worked for Upsher Labs in Kansas City. Doc Upsher was quite a character. I learned more about microbiology in 6 months at Upsher than I did in my years at KU. After 2 years at Upsher, I moved on to Research Medical Center where I learned even more. This was in the days before there were computers in the labs. Spent 4 years at Research before I moved full time to Saint Luke's Hospital of KC. Spent 40 years there. Luke's is a wonderful place to work with wonderful people.
My wonderful wife died before me. The pain and loneliness were almost more than I could bear. She was fantastic and I dreamed of growing old with her.
Several other family members died before me including my mother, my sisters Ida, Lucy and Faye, my favorite aunt and uncle Bessie and Howard, all my other aunts and uncles, some of my nieces and nephews, various cousins, my in-laws Charles and Shirley Frietsch. I have numerous relatives in North Carolina, Southeast Georgia and all over Florida.
I am survived by my daughter Sara (Marc) Dunham, my son Tom Yates, my grandchildren Abby Schiller, Joe Schiller, Taylor Yates, Cooper Yates, Haley Dunham, Zander Dunham and Madison Dunham, my sister in law Susan (Scott) Varner, my nieces Kim (Brandon) Stark, Kristin (Chris) Birdsong, Terri (David) Powers Fraser, my grand nieces Olivia Stark, Aubrey Birdsong, Addalyn Birdsong and Emma Stark. There were many painful days when Sue kept me from the depths of despair just by being there and talking to me. Kim and Kristin were very good to me. They checked on me often and shopped for me when I could not.
A word about my kids - I am quite proud of Sara and Tom. They have grown up to be very fine adults. My grandkids are of course the best ever. I was very close to Abby, she was my first grandchild. Joe was named after me and that was quite an honor. Taylor is a very talented and intelligent young lady and will go far. Cooper (Coop) is very special to me and always will be. Haley is a very fine woman and will do well at whatever she chooses to do. Zander is doing over the road trucking and is doing well in that line of work. Madison recently returned home from Baltimore and is doing fine, she is very determined and strong willed. I am lucky to have had all these wonderful people in my life. I have had a very good life and by the time you read this I will be with my wife. We were married 45 years and not a day went by that I did not miss her.
Visitation will be on Saturday, February 3, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM at McGilley & Hoge Johnson County Memorial Chapel, 8024 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, KS 66204, with Funeral service following at 11:30 AM. Graveside service will be on Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 1:00 PM at Johnson County Memorial Gardens, 11200 Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66210.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Melissa's Second Chances Animal Rescue. Joe was an animal lover and a monthly donor to the rescue. Sara is on the management team there and Joe adored Melissa. Please note that your donation is in the memory of Joe Yates. https://donate.mscrescue.org/give/289804/#!/donation/checkout
