Jack E. Yardley

Jack E. Yardley July 29, 1922 - February 5, 2013 Jack Elliott Yardley of Waco passed away Tuesday, February 5, 2013, at his home. Services will be 11:00 a.m., Friday, February 8, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Chapel with Kent Morrison officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. Mr. Yardley will be in state at the funeral home. Jack was born July 29, 1922, in Port Arthur, Texas, to Sadie Elizabeth Elliott and James Thomas Yardley. Sadie was a teacher, and James was a refinery manager for the Texas Co. Texaco. Mr. Yardley graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur in 1938, attended Port Arthur Business College in 1939 and entered Mechanical Engineering School at Texas A&M in 1940. When WWII began, Mr. Yardley enlisted in the Army Reserves and was later activated at the rank of Private. After completing Officers Candidate School in 1943, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and went to train troops at Camp Maxey near Paris, Texas. In due course, he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant while attached to Patton's 3rd Army in the 184th Engineer Combat Battalion. Their campaign across Europe, relief of the 101st Airborne at Bastogne, and defeat of several SS Divisions at The Battle of the Bulge is still taught at West Point and Sandhurst. After the War, Lt. Yardley returned to Texas and married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Jane Senac. He mustered out of the Army and finished his BSME at A&M. The Yardleys then moved to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where Mr. Yardley completed his MSME and their first daughter, Jane, was born. While gaining experience working for Dupont, The Dykes Co., and The Natkin Co., the Yardleys had their second daughter, Lane. The Yardleys then moved to Waco in 1953, where they founded Central Engineering, which specialized in large scale air conditioning and heating. In Waco, their third daughter, Laura Leigh was born. Sometime after the passing of his first wife in 1977, Mr. Yardley married Prof. Anna Lurline Olson from Temple Univ. in Philadelphia, also an alumna of Thomas Jefferson High School, and classmate of Dorothy and Jack. Interestingly, while in the WACs at the Pentagon during WWII, Sgt. Lurline Olson worked in Phillip Graham's OSS coding division, which was built on the secret encryption work of Jack's cousin, Herbert O. Yardley, during WWI. Mr. Yardley was a long standing member of the Waco Founder Lions Club and Ridgewood Country Club. He performed Spanish translation at remote sites for Doctors Without Borders, and was an assistant to the Spanish Dept. at Baylor. Mr. Yardley was a licensed pilot for many years, an avid snow skier and a certified SCUBA diver. After retirement, Mr. Yardley became "The Amazing Jack Yardley", performing stage magic in schools and at conventions throughout Texas. He was a member of both the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the Texas Association of Magicians. Jack was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, James Yardley; and his first wife, Dorothy Yardley. Jack Elliott Yardley is survived by his wife, Lurline Yardley; daughters, Jane Russo, Lane Yardley and Laura Leigh Yardley; stepchildren, Amanda Smith and Clay Smith; grandchildren, Allison Crow, Kent Morrison, Melissa Benavides, Benjamin Russo, David Russo, Maria Russo; great grandchildren, Brandon Hitchcock, Nico Benavides; and nephew, James Yardley. Pallbearers are Russell Crow, Brandon Hitchcock, Kent Morrison, Ben Russo, David Russo and James Yardley. Memorials may be made to Waco Founder Lions Club, 1916 N. 42 St., Waco, 76710 or Doctors Without Borders, 333 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10001. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WilkirsonHatchBailey.com.