J is for JD Yeakley - Uncle Jay Dee

I have more pictures of Uncle Jay Dee and Aunt Marie than any other family members. I bet that's because they lived less than an hour from us and we saw a lot more of them. Thinking back, it's an interesting dynamic. My Aunt Marie and I didn't get along until I was an adult. I think that's mostly because she had boys and wasn't quite sure what to do with girls. She got along well with my brother and other boy cousins. 

Jay Dee Yeakley was born on August 28, 1913 in Archer City, Texas. When he was 21, he married Halcyon Marie White in Wichita Falls, Texas. She was also from Wichita Falls. They moved around a lot from San Diego to the San Francisco area, ending up in La Mirada, California. He was a printer like his father and brothers.  

Probably taken in the 1960's at our house in La Puente, California
My dad, my mom, Uncle Jay Dee, and Aunt Marie

They had two boys, Jerry and Jimmy. I talked about Jimmy on letter "H". He died in Vietnam in 1967. Jerry is alive and well and living in the San Diego area. 

We spent a lot of time at their house, especially in the summer. When family came from Texas or Washington, we would gather there because they had a pool and it kept us kids busy while the grown-ups visited. Aunt Marie had an amazing orchard collection and a green thumb. 

Eventually, they moved back to the San Diego area, living in El Cajon. Uncle Jay Dee and Aunt Marie attended my mom's funeral in May of 1998. I had no idea he was unwell but he passed away six weeks later on June 17, 1998. Aunt Marie lived another 8 years. She still loved to raise orchards and the last time we visited, she had some very beautiful plants.  

H is for James David Yeakley in Heaven

You expect parents, aunts and uncles to pass away before you do but not necessarily cousins who are the same age. It's not that I'm young, I just expected us to grow old together. 

James David Yeakley

I miss Jimmy. I had a cousin crush on him from the time I could remember and was so jealous when he married Regina.

James David Yeakley was the youngest son of Jay Dee and Marie Yeakley. He was born on October 17, 1944 making him five years older than me. Jay Dee and Marie lived in San Diego when he was born. Most of my memories center around their home when they moved to La Mirada. Uncle Jay Dee and Aunt Marie often hosted family weekends. La Mirada was not far from our house so we spent a lot of time swimming in their pool. 

Jimmy had a MG and used to take me for rides. For an impressionable young girl, he was beyond cool. He treated me as an equal although looking back, I must have been a pest. 

He married Regina in 1965 and they moved to Norwalk. I don't know if he enlisted in the Army or if he was drafted but it was at the height of the Vietnam War. According to the family story, he was killed by a sniper while patrolling the Cambodian/Vietnam border on November 17, 1967 at the age of 23. They were not allowed to defend themselves and fire back because we were not at war with Cambodia. Looking back, I don't know how true that story is but it changed the way I looked at war.  

I had the honor to visit the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. It was there where I was able to reconcile my total dislike for the Vietnam War with all those who died there. The Wall is a powerful reminder of a time of uncertainty. I believe Jimmy died in a war that was not our business but at the same time, our country called on our young men and they responded, giving their lives. Like others, I made a rubbing of his name. Everyone on the wall had loving families doing the same thing.  

Jimmy did not leave a family to carry on his legacy. He had no children and Regina moved on and remarried, as it should be. He lives only in our memories but he is more than just a birth and death date. He deserves to be remembered as the fun loving person that he was. He was a good son and brother. 

And...he is the only one who drove on the sidewalks in La Mirada to prove to me that he could. What a hoot!