Lurline Olson Yardley

Lurline Olson Yardley November 12, 1922 September 27, 2014 Lurline Olson Yardley, long-time resident of Waco, died on Saturday, September 27, 2014. There will be a graveside service at 11:30 a.m., Friday, October, 10, 2014, at Oakwood Cemetery. Mrs. Yardley was born Anna Lurline Olson on November 12, 1922. She grew up in Port Arthur, Texas where she went to school with her husband, Jack Elliott Yardley. Though they spent many years apart, they met again at a high school reunion in 1977. Mrs. Yardley moved to Waco in January of 1978 to wed Mr. Yardley and they resided there together for 35 years. In 1942, Lurline married Homer D. Smith, Jr., a classmate of Mr. Yardley's. After Lt. Smith was sent overseas to England, Lurline enlisted in the Women's Army Corp. Within 2 years she was a sergeant working for Phillip Graham's secret coding division of the OSS precursor of the CIA in the Pentagon. She also prepared General Marshall's maps for the daily briefings and worked on many important maps having to do with the Pacific Theater of the war and with the Japanese surrender. Prior to her marriage to Jack Yardley, Mrs. Yardley had a long career as an educator, starting as an elementary school teacher in 1959, and finishing as an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Mrs. Yardley was active in her churches, Holy Spirit and later St. Albans; was a student of the Spanish language at Baylor University; and she was a child's advocate through the CASA program. She enjoyed traveling with Mr. Yardley and they traveled to Honduras as translators for medical missionaries after Hurricane Mitchell. Mrs. Yardley was predeceased by her husband, Jack Elliott Yardley, in 2013, and her daughter, Lou Ann Smith in 2007. She is survived by her daughter, Amanda Smith, her son, Clay Smith, and her stepdaughters, Laura Leigh Yardley Mathis, Jane Yardley Russo and Lane Yardley. Surviving grandchildren are Jessica McLachlan and Dylan McLachlan of San Francisco, California, Clay McLachlan of Bossalasco, Italy, Allison Crow of Flagstaff, Arizona and Kent Morrison, Melissa Benavides, Ben Russo, David Russo and Maria Russo, all of Austin. Please make donations to the Alzheimer's Association in lieu of flowers. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WHBfamily.com.