Robert (Bob) Yarbrough, Jr. Obituary
Robert (Bob) Earl Yarbrough, Jr. of Gainesville passed away on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. He was 97.
How can we describe our Daddy, our Granddaddy, our friend, Bob. We can’t give every detail of his life in this short obituary, but hopefully we can try to hit the highlights. Bob was strong, reticent, funny, kind, warm, and loving. He was incredibly smart, and gave great advice, but only if asked.
He was born in College Park, GA, on December 9, 1928. He was born at his parents’ home, which is now the site of one of the runways at Hartsfield Jackson Airport! He had a best friend that he kept until death, Joe Suttles, from the age of 3. Joe died 13 years ago. They had tons of fun joking around for many decades of their lives, as boys do.
Bob married his sweetheart, Bebe, in 1950. They had met at a fraternity party one night at the University of Georgia and had decided they were meant to be together forever, that very night. She was the love of his life, his muse, his everything. They enjoyed travelling extensively together, entertaining, and literally showing up for everything, typically gifts in hand–even if they had to hop on a plane on short notice.
After they married, Bob served in the Navy during the Korean War, then was in trade magazine publishing in Atlanta and Chicago, then returned to Georgia where he worked for a ministry that taught financial principles. After his formal retirement, he served as a hospital chaplain. He and Bebe both loved the Lord and loved serving Him in their church at Lakewood Baptist Church.
Bob loved to be silly! He laughed a lot, joked a lot, got a kick out of Bebe, his daughters (Marlyn and Allison), and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It was obvious that he loved people, and he was easy to be around. He would gladly wear a wig, put in buck teeth, and laugh at the kids’ antics. He loved certain television shows like Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond. He loved the movie, Blues Travelers.
He will be sorely missed, for his quiet, peaceful strength, his strong moral character, and his love.
He is preceded in death by the love of his life, Bebe Rivers Yarbrough. He is survived by his daughters and their husbands, Marlyn and Lee Darragh, Allison and Mike Taylor, his grandchildren and spouses, Elizabeth and Scott Gilstrap, Chris and Dani Taylor, Catherine and Brett Lorence, Neely and Nick Almand, Andrew and Bethany Darragh, his great grandchildren, Alli Taylor, Gracie Taylor, Ella Gilstrap, Christopher Taylor, Millie Lorence, Anna Lee Gilstrap, Sean Almand, Harper Darragh, Max Lorence, Adelyn Darragh, Nora Kate Gilstrap and Clare Almand, his brother, Richard Yarbrough and his nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family would like to thank all those who attended to him those last 2 days plus special caretakers, Zoraya and Felipe, for the past 2 years.
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, June 27th at 11:00 AM at Lakewood Baptist Church Chapel.
Memorial Park Funeral Home, 2030 Memorial Park Drive, Gainesville, Georgia 30504 is in charge of the arrangements.
Send online condolences to memorialparkfuneralhomes.com
