Ray Yardley Obituary (1928 - 2020)

If there are ditches in Heaven, Ray is there with his shovel. Ray Yardley, age 91, passed away August 28, 2020, in Beaver. He was born in the little farmhouse across the street to the east of the Sleepy Lagoon motel, in Beaver, Utah, on September 10, 1928, to Daniel Alvin and Myrtle Leona Stewart Yardley. As a nine-year-old boy, he looked forward to going to Pine Creek Ranch to herd the cows, never getting off his horse because of all the rattlesnakes. He would eat and nap on his horse all day long. Ray graduated from Beaver High School in 1946, and he married his high school sweetheart, Mary Ann Joseph, on March 3, 1948, in the St. George Temple. Ray served in the Elders Quorum presidency and was a High Priest in the LDS Church. He enjoyed serving missions with his wife, Mary Ann, in Cove Fort, Utah, and Des Moines, Iowa. Ray assisted his son Mark in teaching the 12 Steps Program for many years. He loved helping others and spent many long nights performing Caesarean operations for local farmers because there was not a veterinarian in Beaver. He served the Utah Department of Agriculture for 35 years working as a meat inspector and a brand inspector. He was honored as the Brand Inspector of the Year for 1992. Ray saw that many strays were returned to their rightful owners, often after feeding and pasturing them for months until their owners could be located. Ray was awarded the 1994 Outstanding Public Employee for the State of Utah. Ray loved serving on the District Grazing Advisory Board of the Bureau of Land Management, so he could help make decisions to help the local cattlemen. He was happy to be elected chairman and never missed a meeting. Ray served as chairman and vice chairman of the Department of Agriculture’s Stabilization and Conservation Service Committee for Beaver County. He was delighted to represent Beaver County as the 2009 Outstanding Cowboy at the Ogden Rodeo. Ray loved his children and grandchildren and taught them to work hard and to love each other. His passion was working on the farm, tending cattle, and riding horses. Ray always had a faithful dog by his side who often shared his lunch. For fun Ray enjoyed riding bucking horses, going to rodeos, hunting, fishing, and watching good ol’ Westerns on TV. Ray spent three years of his life never leaving Mary’s side, helping her stay comfortable and safe during her later years. He enjoyed his daily rides down the creek bed checking on the pastures and reminiscing. Ray is survived by four sons and one daughter: Robert and Sher Yardley, Ray Alan and Debbie Yardley, Marilee and Chris Eyre, Mark and Katy Yardley, and Scott and Teresa Yardley; fifty-eight grandchildren, ninety-two great grandchildren, and three great, great grandchildren, one sister, and two brothers. He was welcomed home by his wife, his parents, one sister, three brothers, two brothers-in law, three sisters-in law, one daughter, one daughter-in-law, three grandsons, and three great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, September 3, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. at the Beaver Cemetery. There will be a viewing from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Southern Utah Mortuary for family only.