Our one-of-a-kind father, grandfather, and great grandfather Dr. John “Jack” Lee Yarnall III died December 6th in Eureka at the age of 91. His lifelong independent spirit remained throughout his last days.

Jack was born January 27, 1932 to John and Daisy Yarnall in White Plains, New York. He was their first son, followed by his brother James. His childhood was filled with a mix of urban living and outdoor adventures. He spent time with his mom’s family in Washington, D.C. and recalled special trips into Manhattan to visit his dad’s office in Midtown. His dad frequently took his boys on fly fishing trips, including a pivotal one to Poe Valley, Pennsylvania, which led his parents to purchase property in the valley that remains in the family today. Until his final years, Jack felt closest to his parents and brother at the cabin in Poe Valley.

Seeking independence and more outdoor adventures, Jack headed west after high school enrolling at the University of Montana in 1949. There he met fellow student and the love of his life, Maureen Fulmor, who he married in 1953. He graduated with a degree in Forestry and followed his ROTC Air Force commitment to flight training in Bryan, Texas. While in Bryan, he and Maureen welcomed their first son Jeffrey in 1954. Twin boys James and John, were born in 1956 while he was stationed at Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, Montana. His Air Force career included helicopter training which led to an assignment in Labrador, Canada where was stationed at Goose Bay as a helicopter pilot.

After leaving the Air Force, Jack re-enrolled at the University of Montana in a masters program. When not studying, Jack worked for Johnson Flying Service as a pilot. He dropped smokejumpers and fire retardant on wildfires throughout the Western US. His duties included aerial spraying of forest lands in the Spring. He continued working fire seasons until the 1970s as his side job - partially for the money but also because it gave him lots of time in the air. He remained proud of his “smokejumper days” which perfectly combined his forestry degree and love of flying.

In 1962 Jack enrolled in the Marine Biology PhD program at Stanford University and moved his family to Palo Alto. He described the program as “the government’s answer to SPUTNIK, which was to get as many of us into science as possible.” He seized the opportunity and developed a love for science and the ocean that remained through his life. A move to Pacific Grove in 1964, led him to discover diving and he spent hours underwater. His studies took him on a research vessel through Latin America, as the Head Dive Officer where he learned the helpful phrase, “donde estan las cervezas?” He took his family to Hawaii for a summer in 1968 where he conducted octopus research. He ultimately completed his thesis on the functional anatomy and feeding behavior of nudibranchs. While he received an outstanding education focused on invertebrate marine biology, he was a renaissance man. All fields of study were worthy and all scholarship was appreciated. That intense curiosity, near photographic memory and love of learning were present his entire life. Being an older graduate student led Jack to “adopt” many fellow students. He and Maureen held parties and their home became the hub for many in themarine biology program. He spoke more of the friends they made during this period of his life than he did his formal education.

In 1969, Jack accepted a tenure-track position in the Biology Department at Humboldt State University. He and his family moved to Freshwater, and Jack remained in the department until he retired in 1993. While at Humboldt, Jack taught many courses, his favorite being invertebrate zoology, and had a genuine love for teaching, especially if it meant getting undergraduate students into the field. He held annual mussel feeds in his yard for his students and loved getting them wet, whether it was at the marine lab in Trinidad, in the pond in his backyard, or “warming up in the nuclear plant runoff” in Humboldt Bay after digging specimens in the bay mud. He was a teacher at heart and said that the favorite thing about his time at Humboldt was, “the memories of seeing students—the light go on in their eyes when they finally grasped something or made something work.” Jack served as the department chair for Biology and was also active on the California State University Academic Senate for many years. He was most proud of his time as an Executive Committee member of the Senate and his time as a “campus politician.”

While not teaching, Jack continued to fly. He had a glider which he launched with the help of his boys and a homemade winch. Later, his red-and-white-striped hot air balloon, the “Candy Striper,” became a fixture in Humboldt County skies. He formed fast friendships - or at least understandings - with many Ferndale dairy farmers who owned the fields he used to land his balloon. His tethered balloon visits to his grandkids’ elementary schools made a lasting impression on hundreds of kids. His love for flying machines never wavered and even when he stopped piloting them himself he visited flight museums, and peppered family with questions about their commercial flights and routes.

Jack loved college athletics, particularly Humboldt State Athletics. He was the faculty athletics representative for the NCAA and to HSU’s conference. He appreciated student athletes who “succeeded academically and also performed.” He and Maureen endowed a scholarship to support outstanding athlete-scholars. He had a fondness for womens’ sports and attended crew races, volleyball games, cross-country meets, and softball games in addition to basketball and football. For many years he was the official scorekeeper for basketball games at HSU. While he kept meticulous score, he was also beloved for the bags of “monster cookies” that he baked and brought to the home team.

His love of athletics transitioned into supporting his granddaughters in their endeavors. He ran the morning swimming carpool, picking up teenage girls from their houses, waiting while they swam from 5:30 to 7 a.m., then dropping them off at school - with an occasional stop for ice cream pints. He brought a homemade megaphone to high school cross-country meets and hosted spur of the moment team sleepovers at his house. He was a fervent cheerleader and the gift of his memory extended past his scholarship and into personal best times and heat and lane assignments.In his retirement Jack volunteered and donated his resources generously. He loved the Humboldt County Jazz Festival and volunteered to drive the bands. He was a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters. He drove seniors to medical appointments well into his own senior years. He served on the Humboldt County Grand Jury. The HSU athletics auction was a marked event on his calendar and his family always wondered what he would come home with each year.

He spent every summer of his retired life at his second home, in Poe Valley, Pennsylvania, where he developed another community of friends. He rode motorcycles on trails, spent time with tractors and chainsaws, attended auctions, made strawberry jam, invested in a brewery, and loved the connection that the place provided him with his parents and an earlier time in his life.

Those who knew Jack knew his smile, his booming voice, and the mischievous twinkle in his eye. “It’s easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission,” was one of his favored mantras as was, “there’s always room for dessert.” Jack loved beautiful things - nautilus, literature, sea shells, sunrises, blown-glass, well-scooped ice cream, theater, jewelry, trees, and especially Maureen. He marveled at the perfection found in nature - not just the obviously beautiful, but the wonders of coevolution and anatomy. Bivalve dissections were a frequent event for children at family dinners and he appreciated the art of a well-cooked meal paired with good wine. Jack loved a party and he loved a show. For years he harvested and shoved the largest possible Christmas tree into his living room, held upright with a block and tackle. The tree was always surrounded by his model trains, which were passed to him from his father. It was a right of passage for kids and grandkids when they were allowed to drive them. He hosted epic neighborhood Halloween parties with cauldrons of cider, bon fires, and flaming balls thrown by trebuchet. New Year’s Eve was marked with a huge fireworks display to which all were welcome. Throughout his life he and Maureen loved to host. Their home was home to any who needed one. His log house and the Freshwater property were a source of pride, the heart of family celebrations, and a comfort to him through his last days.

Jack lived a large life full of conviction and he loved in the same way. Friends were held close and he knew few boundaries in sharing, asking for help, and giving advice. He was predeceased by his brother James as well as his wife Maureen, who died just 7 weeks before him. He is survived by his sons Jeffrey (Dona) of Tualatin, Oregon, John (Kris) of Silverton, Oregon, and James (Brenda) of Eureka. His grandchildren Jason, Julie, Kaitlin (Shikhin), Megan (Will), Michael (Linsday), and Luke, as well as his great-grandchildren Joshua, Jacob, Ava, James, Madeline, and Samira. Also by “adopted” family, the Rummels, the VanderMolens and Bob Sanderson.

The family wishes to thank Hospice of Humboldt for the exceptional care Jack received in his final week. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Freshwater Grange #499 or to the Jack and Maureen Yarnall scholarship for athletes in the Biology department at Cal Poly Humboldt. A celebration of life is planned for the spring and will be announced at a later date.

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