He is survived by his two sons, Matthew Yarnold and wife Katelyn, Charles Yarnold and fiancé Kimberly Carey; mother, Doris Yarnold; sister, Beth Yarnold and husband Chuck Fauer; brother Douglas Yarnold and wife Rina, nephews Adam Fauer, Ben Fauer, Jacob Yarnold and David Yarnold; step-son, Michael Bohrer; two grandchildren, Kinley and Collin; and many close friends and extended family.
Born and raised in Bloomfield, NJ, the son of Charles and Doris Yarnold, he was a lifelong resident of Mount Olive, NJ.
Growing up, Walter had a passion for music and fell in love with the trumpet after listening to Maynard Ferguson’s album “Maynard 61”. He said he had never heard anything like it and was immediately hooked. He started playing the trumpet in 8th grade and never looked back. Walter studied music at the Juilliard School in New York City. He played with a variety of bands and performed at Town Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and many times at Carnegie Hall.
After life on the road as a musician, Walter changed his focus to educating future generations of musicians. For over 30 years he served as the band director at Black River Middle School in Chester, NJ. One thing that gave him great satisfaction was opening students’ minds to different types of music.
As deep as his love was for music, that paled in comparison to the love he had for his family. Being a father became his new passion. He never missed a baseball game, graduation, or any other milestone in his sons’ lives.