Leroy Yarbrough Obituary

Yarbrough, Leroy
YARBROUGH HAROLD LEROY YARBROUGH (1934-2008) DR. LEROY YARBROUGH, after a valiantly fought battle with lymphoma, passed away on Christmas Day, 2008. Born in Rome, Georgia, August 23, 1934, to his late parents, J.D. and Charlcie Yarbrough, from whom he inherited a robust energy and determination that was exhibited in every dimension of his life. It was obvious to family and friends early on that he possessed the musical talent and passion for detail that would be accompanied by success. What few could imagine was what the scope of his influence around the world would become. He received his bachelors and masters degrees at Baylor University. While at Baylor he became the director of the Baylor Religious Hour Choir. He went on to do doctoral studies in Choral Conducting at the University of Texas at Austin, and later earned his Ph.D. in Music Education from Louisiana State University. After serving as Minister of Music for 13 years at San Antonio's Trinity Baptist Church, Dr. Yarbrough served 21 years as Chairman of the Division of Church Music and Professor of Choral Conducting and Music Theory at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Following his retirement from teaching, he began his ministry at First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio as Minister of Music, the position from which he retired April of 2008, completing 11 years of ministry there. Dr. Leroy Yarbrough gained respect and recognition around the world for his exceptional conducting skills performed in some 29 states and 30 foreign countries. He was a highly respected choral clinician, organist, composer and arranger for seven publishing companies and made more than 50 recordings. He was as much at ease advising young seminary musicians as directing massive choirs accompanied by renowned symphony orchestras. He knew how to get the absolute most out of musicians while introducing them to the depth and spiritual message of great works of master composers. If you asked him what he considered the most important investment of his life, it would be unquestionably in his love for his family. How could such an intense, persistent, perfectionist disciplinarian be so loving, caring, and gracious? Such was no mystery to his children and grandchildren. A warm, caring and supportive husband, father and grandfather, he possessed a sense of humor and disdain for hypocrisy. He was a role model for family members, for students and congregants. Leroy Yarbrough's life was one of consistency, discipline, integrity, and courage-from his humble beginnings until his death on Christmas Day. Dr. Yarbrough is survived by his teenage sweetheart and wife of 52 years, Edwyna Yarbrough; daughters and sons-in-law, Melody and David Macaulay of Houston, Gina and Danny Howell of Dallas; grandchildren, Ciara and Lindsay Macaulay, Arden, Jake and Grant Howell; and brother, Dale Yarbrough. MEMORIAL SERVICE SATURDAY JANUARY 3, 2009 2:00 P.M. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 404 NORTH ALAMO There will be a reception following the service in Westminster Hall. The family has requested that in place of flowers, those who wish to offer a tribute to Dr. Yarbrough do so as a living memorial to one of the following: First Presbyterian Church Music Enrichment Fund, in Memory of Dr. Leroy Yarbrough, 404 North Alamo, San Antonio, Texas 78205-1985, or Baylor University Center for Ministry Effectiveness and Educational Leadership, Baylor University, One Bear Place, #97050, Waco, Texas 76798-7050. Gift must indicate "Designated to Baylor University Center for Ministry Effectiveness & Educational Leadership in Memory of Dr. Leroy Yarbrough." You are invited to sign the Guestbook atwww.porterloring.com

HUMOR

Give me a sense of humor, Lord, Give me the grace to see a joke, To get some humor out of life, And pass it on to other folk!

DRIVING

I received an e-mail from a friend yesterday who said he had made a decision not to drive anymore because of his arthritis and his inability to respond quickly.

A little over four years ago my children made that decision for me; I reluctantly agreed.  I miss driving. I still have a valid driver's license.  The last time I went for renewal, thinking it would be for I.D. only, even though I was in a wheelchair they promptly took my photo and my money and issued a new license.  I think if you were rolled in on a hospital bed with life support you could still get a license.

Because or that 'valid license', I have driven around the neighborhood very carefully just to prove I could.  No one will ride with me, which I don't understand, I HAVE A VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE.

Carolyn, or one of our four children, or anybody I can convince, are my chauffuers.  I help my wife drive all the time. She does not seem to appreciate my help.  I taught her to drive.  She did not pay attention. 

Besides, I HAVE A VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE.

YESTERDAY (12/28/2008)

Yesterday morning I preached at Garywood Baptist for brother Charles Sunday (yes he is a descendant of Billy Sunday).  I have preached there many times in the past and served as Interim Pastor  there in  the early nineties.

I had not preached  there since 2004 when I began to lose my balance, experienced neuropathy, which resulted in spinal surgery.  I have  to preach while sitting.  I preached about the ressurection and  tied it in with Christ 's coming to earth as a baby.

OUT OF GAS

The best story I've read in a while....

"Sister Mary, a home health nurse, was visiting homebound patients when she ran out of gasoline. As luck would have it, a gas station was just a block away. She walked to the station to borrow a gas can and buy some gas. The attendant told her the only gas can he owned had been loaned out, but she could wait until it returned. Instead of waiting, she walked back to her car and grabbed the bedpan she was taking to a patient. Always resourceful, she carried the bedpan to the station and filled it with gas. As she was pouring the gas into the tank, two men watched from across the street. One turned to the other and said, 'If it starts, I'm turning Catholic.'"

(from Pulpit Helps magazine, January 2009)

Leroy Yarbrough

Our friend Leroy Yarbrough went home to be with the Lord on Christmas Day (2008).  Pray for his wife Edwyna and all of the family.

SOCIALISM

CHRISTMAS 2008

Youngblood Christmas at Jimmy's....Saturday Dec 20, 2008

Peepaw and Nanny

Greyson

Great grandson, Greyson Carroll, bakes Christmas cookies at Gran's.

He wore his 'dirty clothes'  to cook in.

His parents are Jordan and Sommer Carroll.

Leroy and Edwyna

The photo that follows this entry is of Leroy and Edwyna Yarbrough of San Antonio, Texas.

Leroy and I started first  grade  together in Rome, Georgia.  Edwyna was our preacher's daughter and Carolyn's best friend; they were in nursing school at Georgia Baptist Hospital. 

They came back to Rome for our wedding.  Leroy went on to earn his Doctorate in Music and later was Proffesor of Muic at New Orleans Seminary.  We visited them on the campus there.

We received a 50th Anniversary Card from them and learned then that he had cancer.

His  two daughters have been posting updates on his condition.  I t is worsening each day.

Join us in prayer for them.

Click on their names for updates, etc. about them.

Leroy and Edwyna Yarbrough

BAKING AT GRANS

Great Grandaughter Bailey and Callie Cox Baking Christmas Cookies at Gran.

(Kathy Carroll).  Christmas 2008

SURVIVING THIS ECONOMY

Howard Dayton

Posted on Dec 17, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (BP)--Subprime housing crisis. Dramatic shifts in the global economy. Bankruptcies. Bailouts. They all are economic terms to which few of us paid much attention -- until now.

Today we are experiencing the brunt of a financial blow that has impacted our total economy. As the economic downturn expands, many businesses are going under. Tens of thousands of individuals and families all across our nation are suffering from job loss, or at least the possibility of job loss. Perhaps you are, too. 

Joblessness is a stress-maker of huge proportions. The emotional upheaval of losing a job is a major life change that can leave a person feeling totally out of control -- and angry.

Obviously, reduced income significantly increases the need to make sound financial choices, and economic downswings like the one we're experiencing amplify that need. Any personal financial crisis today places you in the middle of a global crisis. It's not easy to know just what to do. 

Organizations such as Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) often can help you negotiate the financial maze, especially with your creditors. The Atlanta CCCS office (888-771-4673 or www.cccsatl.org) works with people in any area of the country.

Crown Financial Ministries has a network of trained volunteer budget counselors who may be helpful to you during difficult financial transitions. Call Crown at 800-722-1976 or visit www.crown.org for more information.

Your new "job" may be to find a job. However, often the trauma of job loss requires time for healing and evaluating what has happened. Unfortunately, most people don't have the luxury of time for emotional healing, because bills pile up, mouths must be fed and mortgages have to be paid.

Most families simply don't have adequate savings for such emergencies. Add to that the numbers of other job seekers resulting from a mounting unemployment rate, and you could be facing a formidable task.

Nevertheless, if you've lost your job, there are several things you should do:

1. List financial assets. Take immediate stock of your finances. Include savings, spendable assets, income, any severance pay, and unemployment compensation. Then, develop a short-term financial plan. To do this you must:

-- Know your bottom-line monthly needs, and include all bills.

-- Cut expenses in every way possible. Yes, that could mean things like cable, cell phones and so forth.

-- Arrange a plan with creditors that will reduce payments on a temporary basis.

-- Project the cash you will have available for a short-term budget and determine a timeline for how long you can be without work.

-- Tell your church if you have a need for financial assistance during this transitional period. 

There was a day when the church helped its own, but then the government took over that responsibility. Perhaps it's time once again for the church to be the church in this respect.

2. Inventory non-financial assets. During a time like this, you'll need to conduct an honest, completely candid self-analysis.

-- Outline your work history and identify types of work and responsibilities you've had.

-- Identify your transferable skills so you can present them to a potential employer. This is no time to think you have to start at the top of the heap.

-- Develop a one-page résumé (unless you've been employed in the same field 10 or more years) and tailor it to fit any particular job openings.

-- Think creatively and if you have the financial resources consider learning new skills. 

-- Career guide resources are available at www.crown.org.

3. Know network assets. Use leads from people you know to make direct contact with potential employees. Networking is the name of the game. 

-- Get involved in a church-sponsored job network group, or begin one yourself. 

-- Be very cautious using Internet job searches. Economic slumps bring many imaginative scam artists online too. 

-- Set and meet measurable goals for daily job search assignments.

-- Remember, getting a job is your new job for now.

4. Look after your greatest assets. Economic conditions are terrible -- and they could become worse. So, check your spiritual pulse and that of your family, and be sure you're trusting God.

-- Continue family devotions, Bible study and prayer. This is no time to become a spiritual dropout. 

-- Relax, relate to family members and others, and avoid excesses of any kind.

-- Get enough sleep, eat well, exercise and spend six to eight hours each day job-hunting.

-- Covenant with your spouse or a friend so they can hold you accountable for goals in your job search and encourage you in the process.

-- Continue to trust God and wait patiently for Him to provide your next job. 
The psalmist wrote, "If I say, 'My foot is slipping,' Your faithful love will support me, LORD" (Psalm 94:18). 

Remember, Christian, in all that occurs, God will hold you up.
--30--
Howard Dayton is co-founder of Crown Financial Ministries and the current host of Crown's radio program, "Money Matters." Dayton and the late Larry Burkett joined forces in 2000 when Crown Ministries, led by Dayton, merged with Christian Financial Concepts, led by Burkett. The new organization became Crown Financial Ministries, on the web at www.crown.org.

THE NEED TO WRITE?

My daughter, Kathy, said I needed to write.  I am writing.

One of my many excuses for not writing is 'neuropathy' in my hands (I keep hitting the wrong keys).  I guess I'll have to go back to one finger typing.

I have really enjoyed reading other blogs lately.  Kathy has updated her blog.  I look at Musings from Maytown almost everyday.  Have been following chadclem.com pretty close for the past few months.  You can find links to these and others on my blog page. Almost everybody in the world now has a blog.  Do you have yours?  It's free.

We are approaching the third week of our new study in our Sunday School class. The subject: 'THE MIRACLE OF LIFE CHANGE' based on the book of the same title by Chip Ingram.  I have a few problems with some of the wording by the author, but it is a good study.  This will last for six weeks.

Carolyn just returned from one of many tests ordered recently by her doctor. Mostly minor problems, although, she will have to have her thyroid removed after the end of the year; she has multiple nodules (not a new problem).

I am tired. I quit.

AVOIDING DISAPPOINTMENT

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

-Mark Twain

More proverbs

"Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps his mouth shut"

"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing"

"If you're going through hell, keep going" Churchill

STRESS MANAGEMENT

This is simple enough that even I can understand it:

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water ? ' Answers called out ranged from 8oz. To 20oz. The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. 'If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.' 'In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. '

He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. ' 'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. ' 'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.' 'Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy!'

And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

1 * Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4 * Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.

5* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

8 * Never buy a car you can't push.

9* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

10* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

11* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.

13 * When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

14* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

15* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once

17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

18* A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.