Robert Vernon Yates Jr.

Born October 14,1940 in Sumter, South Carolina, Bob was the oldest child of Robert Vernon “Skeet” Yates, Sr. and Inez Wells Yates. Bob’s only sibling, his younger brother Bill, passed away in January of 2023.

Growing up in Sumter, Bob didn’t always dream of attending Clemson University. In fact, he intended to enroll at Wake Forest University, until – at the urging of a close, high school friend – Bob made the last-minute switch to a school he had never once visited. Watching Bob cheer passionately for his Clemson Tigers over the coming decades, it was clear he made the right choice! When he wasn’t watching football, Bob was on his HAM radio working the repeaters. He earned his amateur radio license at age fourteen and his call sign was W4GCB.

After graduating from Clemson in 1962 with a degree in Physics, Bob went to work for Celanese. Soon thereafter, in February of 1965 he married Nancy Coleman, of Conway, South Carolina. Together they had two children, Carol (1968) and Rhett (1971). By 1977, Bob was working for Milliken & Company, and the family had moved from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to LaGrange, where Bob became a well-loved part of the community, as a fixture in both the First Presbyterian Church choir and in the local amateur radio club.

Bob went on to have a successful, 40+ year career at Milliken, traveling the globe and making friends everywhere he went. When he wasn’t traveling for work, you might find Bob watching golf on TV, caring for the horses and dogs at home or, most iconically, riding the mower through the front pasture with a beer in hand. He took joy in “tinkling the keys” on the piano, which he played by ear, and his occasional, impromptu concerts were always popular. Bob had a natural talent for making anyone and everyone feel at ease in his presence.

Even in “retirement” Bob was too inquisitive and too knowledgeable to sit on the sidelines. Working with MGroup gave him a sense of purpose and a new set of colleagues and friends. He was grateful to be involved, and his family enjoyed seeing him reinvigorated by the challenge of a new business.

In 2023, Bob moved to Jacksonville, Florida to be closer to his son Rhett, daughter in-law Mandy, and two grandchildren, Mattie Bell and Coleman. After a lifetime on the road traveling the globe for work, the move allowed Bob to spend more time with family. Meals together, ball games, even simply running errands, constituted time well-spent for Bob, especially whenever the grandkids were involved. His family will always hold that time dear.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, July 20, 2025 at 2 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 120 Broad Street, LaGrange, Georgia 30240. A small, on-site reception will follow the service in the Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Bob Yates to the First Presbyterian Church First Arts or The LaGrange Amateur Radio Club.

First Presbyterian Church First Arts,120 Broad Street, LaGrange, GA 30240.

The LaGrange Amateur Radio Club, P.O. Box 1731, LaGrange, GA 30241.