05/08/2025
Bruce Yarbrough went to walk the streets of heaven on April 26th, 2025, in Lockhart, Texas.
Graveside service will be Saturday, June 21, 2025 at 11am at Cold Springs Cemetery, 3941 County Road 289, Garrison, Texas 75946.
Through his battle with illness in recent years, he looked forward to moving on to be with Jesus and those that went before him. Born July 28, 1950, to Eugene “Shorty” Yarbrough and Lucille Christopher Yarbrough on a ranch on the Attoyac River in Grisby Community, on the Shelby County line. His family later relocated to the Huber Community, between Center and Timpson, where he was raised on a dairy and poultry farm, the youngest of six kids.
He was a member of First Baptist Church in Center, Texas where he served as a deacon. He was also a Gideon and would speak at various churches in the area. He was a member of Promise Keepers, which played an influential part in his Christian walk, where he met with a group of men for prayer, bible study and accountability for many years. Although he would be the first to admit his shortcomings, he would be the first to tell you that in Christ, all things are possible.
Bruce graduated from Center High School in 1968. In 1970 he married his high school sweetheart, Debra Lawson. He continued his education at Stephen F. Austin University, graduating in 1973 with a double major in accounting and business management. He went on to work for Herider Farms (now Pilgrim’s) as office manager for the Nacogdoches and Lufkin processing plants and held several management positions until leaving his work there. He purchased his first convenience store in 1977, called N & Out Food Store. He later acquired several more stores in San Augustine, Gary, and Center, among them being Kwik & EZ and Shady Oaks Food & Feed in Center. His stores were known for the “Bruce Burger.” In 1997, after twenty-one years in the convenience store business, Bruce became a Farmers Insurance Agent where he received many awards and accolades. He later became a licensed real estate agent, and then broker, at Town & County Real Estate until his retirement.
Bruce was active throughout his life, from childhood baseball to tennis in high school. As a young adult he was the pitcher for the Orange Crush men’s softball team, with his friends, winning many trophies and Championships.
Bruce was passionate about experiencing God's creation outdoors, spending much of his spare time fishing, hunting, riding his four-wheeler, and being on a tractor brush hogging on his property in the Antioch Community, or working cattle while telling stories and making jokes with his father-in-law, Billy Lawson, and sons, Cade and Nathan. He taught his sons when they were young to love the outdoors.
He loved nothing more than to sit around a firepit with his family telling stories and entertaining his grandchildren, Cole, Mallory, and Dillon, who were the joy of his life. The grandkids loved entertaining their Poppy. He would take them on many nature walks with their custom-made walking sticks that he made for them, afterward he would take them to the James Store to get ice cream.
Bruce is survived by:
Children:
Cade and Traci
Nathan and Micki
Grandchildren:
Cole
Mallory
Dillon
Sister, Lagene Smoke and Jerry
Former wife and friend, Debra
Sisters-in-Laws:
Francis Yarbrough Williams
Jean Yarbrough
He leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, family and friends.
Preceded in death by both parents; brothers, Troy, Kenneth, Joe, and Spencer; and sister-in-law, Elaine Yarbrough.
There will be a graveside service at Cold Springs Cemetery in Garrison, Texas at a later date.
In Lieu of flowers it would be appreciated donations be made to: Cold Springs Cemetery, P.O. Box 726, Garrison, TX 75946.
