Matthew Henry Yardley

Matthew Henry Yardley, age 84, of Nashville, Tennessee passed away on Thursday, January 12, 2023. A Celebration of Matthew's life will be held Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 10:00 AM at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 4071 Macon Rd, Columbus, Georgia 31907

Matthew was born on October 3, 1938 in Turkey; the son of Abdurrahman and Turhanim Yarbag. While serving in the U.S. Army in Germany, Matthew met and married the love of his life, Evelin M. Yardley. They have been married for 61 years. He graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, and a MS in Political Science. Matthew had a distinguished 30-year career in the United States Army Infantry before retiring at the rank of Major. He had multiple oversea assignments to Germany as well as Korea and Vietnam and was stationed at several army infantry bases in the United States. He was the recipient of many distinguished military honors including the National Defense Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 4 Bronze Stars, Meritorious Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal to recognize a few. Matthew also earned his real estate license and was a successful real estate agent. He was a member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Columbus, Georgia and St. George’s Episcopal Church, Nashville, Tennessee.

Matthew is preceded in death by: his son, Erol Matthew Yardley; his brothers Tugay and Salih Yarbag.

Survivors include: his cherished wife, Evelin M. Yardley; beloved daughter, Denise A. Yardley; granddaughter, Ariana M. Sowell; grandson, Aiden Erol Sowell; nephew, Olcay Yarbag; niece, Selin (Yarbag) Ciplak; niece: Tugba Yarbag; nephew, Bugra Yarbag; and many other relatives in Turkey.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Thomas Episcopal Church https://www.stthomascolumbus.org/ or the American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.shcolumbus.com for the Yardley family.