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Gertrude Yeakley
Gertrude Yeakley
(March 27, 1917 - Dec. 28, 2008)
Gertrude Harriet Caldwell Yeakley, 91, died Dec. 28, 2008, at Ashley Manor in Baker City with her two daughters at her side and loving thoughts being sent her way by her two sons in California.
Visitation hours were Wednesday, Dec. 31, at Gray’s West & Company Pioneer Chapel from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.. Her funeral service will be held on Friday, Jan. 2, at 1 p.m. at the Baker United Methodist Church, 1919 2nd St., followed by a vault interment at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Following the services, friends are invited to join the family for a dinner in the Fellowship Hall of the Baker United Methodist Church.
She will be forever cherished by her children for her outstanding job of mothering and the love and loyal support she gave her husband as his help-mate.
She was born March 27, 1917, in Bedford, New Hampshire, to Quincy John and Mary Elizabeth Caldwell. Gertrude received her diploma in nursing in 1938 at the Margaret Pillsbury School of Nursing in Concord, New Hampshire. Upon graduation from nursing school, she left New Hampshire for New York City and worked at Cornell Medical Center. In 1942, soon after the United States entered World War II, she entered active duty in the U.S. Army and worked as a nurse in the South Pacific in Australia and New Guinea. In New Guinea, she met Army Captain Harry C. Yeakley Jr. of Baker City, Ore. They were married after the War on March 28, 1946, and Gertrude has been a resident of Baker City since that time.
Gertrude and Harry raised four children: John, Jim, Mary Ann and Betty Sue. All four children fondly remember their growing up years in Baker City and all of their close family times. Gertrude worked for many years as a part time registered nurse at St. Elizabeth Hospital and later when it was rebuilt, St. Elizabeth Medical Center. She was an active volunteer for many years at the American Red Cross, did some volunteering for the YMCA, was a member of the VFW and a very active member of the Baker City United Methodist Church from the time she moved to Baker City.
Life and all it had to offer was the focus of the way Gertrude lived. She was a great lover of nature and the outdoors, loved to travel and was very interested in current events: local news, world news, any news. She enjoyed watching all sports on TV — football, basketball and baseball. She had the TV on for every space launch even when the launches became routine. She enjoyed yard work and gardening and was a very meticulous housekeeper. The concept of idleness was completely foreign to her. The simplest things could give her enjoyment - a duck paddling on a pond was as exciting as a bison roaming in Yellowstone Park. A trip to Anthony Lake rated almost on the same level as a trip to Europe. Everything interested her as long as it wasn’t of a wicked or evil nature - she would have none of that! Her children remember her being the ultimate outdoor camper, cooking on a grill over an open fire pit, setting and keeping up a spic and span camping spot and tent, collecting seashells at the beach and rocks at the mountains. Everything was interesting to her — she was a lifelong learner and drank in all that she could, all of the time. She was also a woman of great Christian faith and tried very hard to live accordingly. Finally, she was a true American patriot, proud of her country. She flew a flag at her home every day, taking it in every night.
Gertrude grew old ruefully. She was not about to give in to the infirmities of old age! She worked very hard at keeping herself healthy. She played tennis into her late 60s and rode a bicycle well into her 70s. A problem with her balance made her have to give up some of the more strenuous activities. She then took up walking on a daily basis and in the winter time would walk the course at Rite Aid. She enjoyed exercise classes at the Senior Center and did the daily crossword puzzles and Jumble in the paper to try to keep her mind sharp. In late 2005, a sudden onset of rather severe dementia problems changed the course of Gertrude’s life and she was admitted to Ashley Manor where she was a resident until her death.
Gertrude is survived by her four children and their spouses: John and Takako Yeakley, Jim and Mary Anne Yeakley, Mary Ann (Yeakley) and Jan Kooning and Betty Sue (Yeakley) and Barry Lawson, three grandchildren: Maryann K. Yeakley, Christopher Kooning and Kaylie Kooning and five great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by two sisters, her husband, Harry and her grandson, Clayton.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Baker City United Methodist Church or the Baker County Chapter of the American Red Cross in care of Gray’s West & Company Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, Ore. 97814.
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