Jimmy Joe Yandell

Jimmy Joe Yandell, 76, of Canyon Lake, Ca passed away on June 5, 2019 from complications of congestive heart failure.He was born on December 4, 1942 at Pomona Valley Hospital, Pomona, CA. To Jim and Juanita Yandell. He grew up in Ontario California, where like most kids his age he learned to love baseball and as he got older and was able to pick a favorite team. His became the St. Louis Cardinals. As a family, there were many camping trips. There would be many weekends spent at Youngs camp at the beach with friends. This is where his love of the ocean developed for surfing but his great love of fishing that he shared with his father came from. Jimmy was a second-generation Chaffey High School graduate and he would later send his daughter, making her a third generation to attend his beloved school. He always liked fast cars, motorcycles or boats. He would tell stories of racing down the streets and trying to allude the police but not always getting away. When that happened a few too many times his parents thought they would teach him a lesson so one time, they locked his car in the garage when they left for the weekend. Well, that wasn’t going to stop Jimmy so he took the garage door off because he thought his parents wouldn’t know. The neighbors told on him. So, his dad took the wheels off chained them together and said, “I dare you.” After Jimmy graduated from high school he went to work for General Electric and worked for them for 15 years and later worked in construction and the tire industry. In September 1964 he enlisted in the Army National Guards for six years. In the spring of 1967, he and a friend pulled into a gas station and his life was forever changed. He met his future wife Patti Allen and her friend. She tells the story, that she thought at first, he was some gross guy trying to pick her up because he just wouldn’t stop talking. But I guess things worked out because they were married just short of 50 years before she passed away. At the beginning of their marriage they spent a lot of time with friends at the Salton Sea water skiing, camping in the mountains, bowling leagues, ski trips, parties, hunting, fishing and a lot of time at the lake and river. Then their first child was born, at 3 days god decided to take Jeffrey home. Three years later a daughter was born, Kimberly, the trips now included swings, zinc, extra t-shirts so she doesn’t burn, teach her to fish, clean her own fish, get her up on skis ASAP… she can ski at 4. It took over seven years until another child would come to make this family complete, James (Jimmy). He was a typical boy and Jimmy loved this. He rode motorcycles, any sport he played he was good at and if you were in ears shot, he was going to tell you. In 1994, Patti was transferred to Arizona with work, Kim had already graduated from high school and was in college so the three moved to Arizona. Once Little Jimmy graduated from high school and moved to the Phoenix area. Jimmy and Patti enjoyed camping in the White Mountains where they could fish, dove hunting in the Tucson area and in the last 10 years he picked up wood working and became really good at it. Fourteen years ago, he was blessed for the first time to be called Papa. His daughter Kim had her first child a boy, Tyler and two years later a girl, Rylee. Even when he lived in Arizona he always wanted to know as soon as every game was done how each child did. Tyler has taken after him with his elephant memory and he always told people that Rylee is his Cameron Diaz look alike. Jimmy has two children.

Jimmy is proceeded in death by his beloved wife of 49 years Patti. He is survived by his daughter Kim Blade and husband Dean, grandchildren Tyler and Rylee, son James (Jimmy) and his two children.