Faye was born on June 4th, 1929, in Rowan County, NC to parents Reuben and Mary Patrick Walser. She was one of four siblings, all with whom she had close relationships. Faye graduated from Spencer High School and later from Pfieffer College.
Faye married her high school sweetheart, James Richard Yarbrough, in 1948, and they celebrated 52 years together before he passed in 2000 after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Faye and Richard had three children – James Richard Jr. (Patricia Driscoll), Marianne (Michael)Hicok, and David Walser (Thomas Jones). They were blessed with two grandchildren, Todd Richard Yarbrough (Annie Byrnes) and Elisabeth Alley (Gustavo)Bartczak, and three great grandchildren: Theodore James Yarbrough, Daniel Lucas Bartczak, and Juliana Alley Bartczak.
After they married, Faye and Richard moved to Clemson, SC where she gained employment at Deering Milliken Mills in Anderson, SC. She then worked as the secretary to the Clemson House Hotel’s General Manager. Later, the couple moved to Maryland, where Faye worked as the secretary to the Manager of the Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington, DC. Following this, she accepted a role as administrative assistant to both the Chairman of the Board and the President of ABC Demolition & Liquidators in Arlington, Virginia. Because of this incredible work, Faye was listed in Who’s Who in American Women in 1980 and 1981.
Faye and Richard were devoted church members, and Faye enjoyed her volunteer work at Vermont United Methodist. She organized “Love Meals” and “Terrific Tuesdays” and community breakfasts. She helped with Bible Study, the nursery and wherever there was a need.
Faye had a passion for cooking and baking, and we will dearly miss her yeast rolls, pimento cheese, oyster stew, vegetable soup, manicotti, crab cakes, fried chicken, and so much more. She was an avid reader, enjoyed yardwork and planting flowers, and spending time with her family at the beach. She adored the family’s many dogs and cats. She especially enjoyed cheering for her Clemson Tigers!
Faye is preceded in death by her siblings Lillian Irene (Malbourne) Michael, Mary Anna (Harvey) Morgan, and John “Buddy” Foy Walser (Rebecca), and her nieces, Kelly Michael Pugh and Patricia Walser Rose.
She is survived by her beloved children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, as well as her many nieces and nephews – Elizabeth Poole (Danny), Mary Kathryn McNeill (Terrance), Reuben Morgan (Nancy), Tracy Michael Vardeman (John), John Malbourne Michael (Cheryl), Thomas Patrick Michael (Debra),and Lynn Walser Garms. The family will receive friends Friday, April 3, 2026, from 5:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M. at East Lawn Funeral Home. A funeral service will follow at 6:00 P.M. in the East Lawn Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Kim Isley-Selby officiating. The committal service will be held Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 1:00 P.M. at Rowan Memorial Park in Salisbury, North Carolina. Those wishing to attend are asked to arrive at the cemetery by 12:50 P.M.
The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Asbury Place at Steadman Hill for their kindness and great care over the last four plus years.
Flowers will be accepted or contributions may be made in Faye’s honor and memory to Vermont United Methodist Church, 1817 Bloomingdale Road, Kingsport, TN, 37660 or to Petworks Animal Services, 3101 East Stone Drive, Kingsport, TN, 37660.
East Lawn Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Mrs. Faye Yarbrough.
