Ronald E. Yarbrough

Dr. Ronald Edward Yarbrough, age 78, of Collinsville, Illinois Winged His Flight to the Heavenly Kingdom on April 29, 2015 at 11:19 AM, at Eunice Smith Nursing Home in Alton Illinois due to complications resulting from Alzheimer’s disease, which was officially diagnosed in 2010.

Ron and his wife Rose participated in the Washington University Memory and Aging Research Project (MAP) beginning in 2009. Ron made the decision to donate his brain to this research project with an eventual goal of developing effective treatments for these illnesses. In addition the diagnostic report of the findings is provided to the next-of-kin. This is the only way that conclusive diagnoses can be established.

Ron was born on July 26, 1938, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the son of the late Edward Leon Yarbrough and the late Margaret Bernyce Livingston.

Ron has two surviving sons, Henry Edward Yarbrough born in Muskegon, Michigan and wife Cathy Jean Roy of Waterbury, Conn.; two grandsons, Kyle Thomas Yarbrough and Kraig Michael Yarbrough of Yuba City, California; and Scott Richard Yarbrough of Alton, IL; one granddaughter, Samantha Rae Yarbrough.

Ron married Rose Marie (Chiste) Somraty in 1977 at their home in Sugar Tree located in north St. Louis, MO. Rose survives after thirty eight years of marriage. Ron was blessed with two step children, two grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Step-Children: Step-daughter: DeAnna Marie (Somraty-Chiste) Kasich; two grandchildren, Christina Marie (Chiste) Digby, and David Anthony (Chiste) Kasich; two great Grandchildren, Kendalyn Rose (Digby) Portz and Brayden Alexander (Digby) Portz; and step-son: James John (Somraty) Chiste, Jr.

Ron is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a Ph.D. in Geology. Ron began his teaching career at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville as a PIONEER INSTRUCTOR IN 1964. He worked on the Alton, IL Campus. Ron taught geology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for thirty years and retired in 1993 as Professor Emeritus of Earth Sciences at SIUE. Ron worked part-time and full time for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for seventeen years. He also worked with the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Twin Cities, located in Minnesota for three years and the Illinois State Geological Survey for two summers. He retired from the Corps in 1999. He also volunteered for emergency service with The U. S. Army Corps in Mississippi following the Katrina hurricane, which devastated Louisiana and Mississippi.

Ron was a Registered Geologist in five U.S. states including Illinois (18 yrs., Kentucky, (16 yrs.) Missouri (18 yrs.) and Arkansas (15 yrs.) a Kansas (4 yrs.). Ron was a member of the America Institute of Professional Geologist for thirty two years; Society of Mining Engineers for twenty five years,

Ron and Rose (after leaving the Federal Government, DOD.) created our own firm (Geo-Technical Associates (GTA)) as sole proprietor and later incorporated in 1984 to do consulting work for the State of Illinois and the IL Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund (TheFund) in Chicago IL. The Illinois Mine Subsidence Fund started the work with Corlew Engineers in Edwardsville, IL, and for ten years Ron Yarbrough and Phil Corlew, an Engineer, partnered to begin work on the “startup” of subsidence work for the Fund.

Ron had a leave of absence from the University and taught some courses at night. Ron and Rose kept the firm (GTA) until 1989 when events changed. Ron returned to the Army Corps full time in 1993 until 2000 when he retired after 17 years of full and part time service.

Ron was an invited representative of People to People International and the American Coal Industry to the People’s Republic of China and the China Ministry of Coal Industry in the spring of 1987. Ron and Rose became Ambassadors to China from the USA. The purpose of the People to People International (Peace through Understanding) and was founded in 1956 by President Eisenhower, to promote international understanding and friendship through

education, cultural and humanitarian activities.

Ron and Rose traveled overseas to Scotland and Poland for conferences and Ron presented technical papers as well in many US States.

Ron worked on coal mine subsidence problems in the Metro-East, Illinois for many years. He authored or co-authored over 40 publications, most concerning coal mine subsidence and structural response to ground movements.

Ron was one of the geologists who assisted the Illinois State Assembly in establishing the Illinois Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund. He had been the legal expert witness for the Fund for ten years for about forty legal trials and established many of the standards for cause and origin of subsidence of any type. He has investigated over 2000 structures for foundation damage in Illinois and Kentucky. He also, worked with approximately 500 structures already damaged by subsidence, many in Madison and St. Clair counties, Illinois.

The most valued award Ron received was the SIUE First Great Teacher Award, awarded from a vote of the Southern Illinois University Alumni in 1972. In 1993 Ron was awarded the Department of the Army “Commander’s Award” for Civilian Service and a promotion to GS 13 for his research work for the Bureau of Mines and Minerals. In addition Ron was appointed member of the United Nations subcommittee on the utilization of coal mine waste, 1993 to 2002.

Ron was honored with the Hammer Award for Environmental Pool Management Team presented by VP Al Gore, in 1998.

Dr. Yarbrough was a passionate fisherman with trout and bass fishing as his favorite. He taught his wife, Rose how to fish and later agreed that she could keep up with the best of them. In addition, water sports such as skiing and boating was his hobby. Ron was a natural born teacher as he taught all of the family, who wanted to learn, how to water ski and how to fish. The family enjoyed many good times around an outdoor fire cookout in AR and at Lake Carlyle for years. We later moved our fishing experiences to Bull Shoals Lake and White River in Arkansas. The nearest large town was Mountain Home AR. Another hobby Ron enjoyed was hunting and working with his best girl, his female Irish setter Tennessee Belle (Tennie), to hunt for quail, dove and pheasant and later to hunt in Wyoming for antelope with his buddies and son Ed Yarbrough, who lived in CA.

Visitation will be from Wed May 6 2015 at 10 AM at Lakeview Memorial Gardens in Fairview Heights, IL,

Memorial Services will begin at 12 PM.

Memorials are suggested in memory of Ronald E. Yarbrough, Ph.D., to the following:

“The Rose Marie Somraty and Ronald Edward Yarbrough Endowment”, SIUE-Lovejoy Library, PO Box 1063, c/o Kyle Moore, Edwardsville, IL 62026. (Make checks payable to SIUE Foundation and write the endowment name on check).

“Center for Spirituality and Sustainability”, Geodesic Dome located on the 90th Meridian at SIUE, Edwardsville, IL 62026, SIUE Campus Box 1059, Edwardsville, IL 62026.