Jeannette Yvonne Yockey

Jeannette Yvonne (Beasley) Yockey passed peacefully from the devoted embrace of her husband into the welcoming arms of her Lord and Savior on September 11, 2021, ending her decades-long struggle against myotonic dystrophy.  Funeral Services will be Saturday, September 18, 2021 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Dakota Dunes, with Reverend Jeremy Richert, B.A., M. Div. and Reverend Dr. Michael Kumm officiating.  A private graveside will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.  Visitation will be at the church, this evening, Friday, September 17^th from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with family present at 6:00 p.m. and a Prayer Service beginning this evening at 7:00 p.m.  Online condolences may be offered at www.meyerbroschapels.com Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel is assisting the family.  In lieu of flowers, Memorials may be offered to STEMM (Siouxland Tanzania Educational Medical Ministries, 505 5^th Street #206, Sioux City, Iowa  51101) or Rosecrance Jackson Centers, 800 5^th Street, Sioux City, Iowa 51101.

Her grieving family and friends are thankful for the blessing of Jeannette’s loving, Texas-sized, heart and humbled by how she accepted her limitations with such grace. Still, we cannot help but mourn the loss of opportunities to tell her so.

The second child of Yvonne (Petitt) and Ted Beasley, Jeannette was born September 15, 1953, in Coulee Dam, Washington.  Her lively curiosity and cheerful sociability were evident early on.  Barely out of the toddler stage, Jeannette was first to greet a family new to the neighborhood in Pullman, Washington.  She thrilled to report to her mother they were “really nice,” and their skin looked as well as felt like “yummy chocolate.”

Popular with girls and boys alike, Jeannette thrived in the friendships she forged during her school years.  Her memory for detail is legendary; her tales of teenage and young adult antics never failed to entertain.  She was a graceful, agile, enthusiastic dancer; her televised performance on The Stardust Stairway held special meaning for her.

Jeannette had a steady moral compass, even as an exuberant teenager.  She served as a Candy Striper, then as a paid attendant, at the hospital and a nursing home.  The lessons she learned in those settings guided her through several difficult patches over the years.

For the year after graduation from Pullman High School in 1971, Jeannette attended Eastern Washington University, where she met John Wheeler.  Shortly after their marriage in 1972, John enlisted for military service and was stationed first in Oakland, California, then in Bethesda, Maryland.  Upon completing his military stint, John returned with his small family to Pasco, Washington. 

Jeannette’s marriage to John Wheeler ended by divorce in 1979, but a happy consequence of that union was the birth of her precious son Eric on November 11, 1975, in Bethesda, Maryland.  About this same time, at the same hospital (Walter Reed) where Eric was born, Jeannette was diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy. 

Jeannette met Ron Yockey at IBP in Pasco, Washington, where they both worked.  Each was smitten with the other.  Having found their life partner and helpmate, Jeannette and Ron were married on May 17, 1980, at Grace Methodist Church in Sioux City, Iowa.  Ron loved Eric as his son long before the adoption was official.

Ron’s job as Production Manager for BPI (a different company from IBP) required the family to relocate several times in the early years of their marriage.  Like her mother, Jeannette made quick work of transforming each residence into a warm, welcoming home for her family.  They settled for good in Dakota Dunes in 1991.  They found a spiritual family in Holy Cross Lutheran Church and quickly became active members.

Jeannette was a passionate mother to Eric.  She wanted so much good for him, which made the fact that Eric showed signs of myotonic dystrophy at a younger age than Jeannette did all the more distressing for her.  Eric graduated from South Sioux City High School in 1994. He married Amy Edwards, and their union gave Jeannette and Ron two precious grandchildren:  Katelyn June Yockey born December 2, 1999, and Travis Michael Yockey born May 27, 2001. 

Eric contracted the swine flu, and because of his compromised immune system, died suddenly at the age of 34 on December 9, 2009.  Jeannette could hardly bear the heartbreak.  She never faltered, though, in her devotion to and concern for the well-being of her grandchildren.  In the ensuing years, she and Ron lovingly and willingly assumed the daily, life-long duties of raising Katelyn and Travis.

Jeannette had a quick wit and was a savvy player of any kind of parlor game, whether it be cards, board games, or charades.  She relished ceremony and public ritual, from renewing her wedding vows upon their 25^th anniversary to insisting every family member declare what they are most grateful for before diving into the Thanksgiving feast.  Like the best prosecuting attorney (a profession her mother thought she was well-suited for), and in the words of her brother who was often on the receiving end, Jeannette could cross-exam you with rapid-fire questions that allowed no chance to answer any of them and you would halfway think you were guilty even though you knew you were not.

Dates, happy occasions, tragic events – singly or in sum – cannot convey the personality of our beloved Jeannette or how she experienced her life.  Somehow, though, despite the struggles and pain, can’t you just hear her saying: “Oh, my stars!  What a hoot!”

Jeannette was preceded in death by her parents, son Eric Yockey, nephew Justin Beasley, father-in-law William Yockey, niece Emily Schulz, and nephew Jay Fleckenstein.  She is survived by her husband of 41 years, Ron Yockey, brother Ron Beasley (and his ex-wife Dretha Phillips), niece Elisha Beasley, grandchildren Katelyn Yockey and Travis Yockey, mother-in-law Verlie Yockey, brother-in-law Randy Yockey (and his ex-wife Pam Yockey), sisters-in-law Janet Fleckenstein (and husband John) and Pam Schulz (and husband Dallas Schulz), along with numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews.