Fern Brown Yerby
Fern was born January 9, 1911 in Luna, New Mexico, married 1946 in Tucson, Az. to Jess Lee Yerby. She died November 27, 1998 at age 87. Parents were Stephen Alonzo and Bertha Teresa Reynolds Brown.
She was two years old when her father age 48 went on a Mission to the Central States leaving his 30-year-old wife and four children along with his mother Lora Ann Taylor Brown (76 years old).
Around age 6-7, while waiting for parents to finish visiting friends after church, she went on home alone and out into a meadow near a stream by the forest. At the beautiful meadow she had a wonderful feeling that God loved her and knew and blessed her.
Her father taught her and her sister Wanda how to chord on the piano. They had a little band and played for dances. Aunt Wanda says she had to play the piano most of the time because Aunt Fern was always dancing.
At age 12 her father fell from a wagon and broke his leg as well as pulling his hip from his socket. Her oldest brother Floyd was on a mission and after consulting with the Bishop, it was determined in the spring that her brother should come home to help take care of the family. They needed to move from the high altitude of Luna, NM — at 7,000+ ft it aggravated her father's arthritis that had set in from the accident. Upon Floyd’s arrival home, he took their father to a doctor some nine months after his accident. Following seeing the doctor it was determined to move to the Gila Valley where her father had a farm leased to Robert Johns.
This move took the family to Virden, New Mexico, where she finished high school and then attended the Gila Academy for two years and later graduated from college in Silver City, New Mexico, with a teaching certificate. She was the first — if not the only child of Lon and Tess —who graduated from college. She taught school at Glenwood, NM, and also Wagon Mound, NM, near Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Following this she accepted being a secretary at the Highway Patrol office in Deming, New Mexico. During this employment she met a person named Bill Foster, who was in the National Guard. They were planning marriage when the II World War broke out, and in a matter of days he was gone to the Philippines. He was captured and later died aboard ship while being transported to imprisonment in Japan.
After Grandma Brown's house in Virden burned in 1945, Fern cashed in some of her War Bonds and built a house in Mesa, Arizona, in 1953 so her mother could do genealogy and Temple work for their ancestors. She met Jess Yerby while still in Deming and after their marriage in 1946 moved to El Paso for a short time. She and Uncle Jess would later move to Mesa and live with Grandma. Aunt Fern began teaching in the Mesa School District and Uncle Jess continued his trade as a mechanic on heavy equipment.
Shortly after moving to Mesa, her oldest brother Floyd passed away. Floyd's wife, Mina, had predeceased the year before. Fern invited Floyd's oldest son Dewaine to come and live with them, which he did for a few months before going on a mission. Dewaine was grateful for these few months in Fern, Jess, and Grandma's home. Her poise and soft demeanor was very nurturing. It also helped him to know more of Grandma's history as well as my Aunt Fern.
Some years later she told Dewaine, "I never ever had any trouble with any class discipline. I found that if I spoke softly, and slowly, with respect and dignity to my students, they never were disrespectful to me or disorderly.” Through the years others noticed that, as she addressed them — whether in her Relief Society assignments, doing missionary work, or in the Temple.
Uncle Jess joined the church after working with the Boy Scouts in the ward. Later he became a Ward Clerk in the Bishopric.
Aunt Fern was a secretary to the Ward Relief Society President while Dewaine stayed with them. She was told by the Stake Relief Society President that her records were the most perfect in the Stake. Fern then became the Ward Relief Society President and later the Stake Relief Society President.
After she and Jess were sealed, they became Stake Missionaries to the Maricopa Indians, south of Chandler. (This was the tribe that helped feed the Mormon Battalion when they came from Tucson some 100 years before.) She often spoke of this wonderful experience and the love she had for the Indians. Uncle Jess's quiet manner was an asset in working with the Indians.
They then became temple workers and during this time, Jess died suddenly of a heart attack. This was a very unexpected turn in her life as he was only fifty-seven years old. However, she soon had a feeling of assurance that this was God's will and everything was all right. Aunt Fern continued working in the temple for some 20 years until her health began to fail. Most of these years, her assignment was working with the brides and escorting them through their temple experience for the first time. Often she would say, "You just do not know how sweet these young brides are. I love working with them so much.”
In her later years, one of her claims to fame was, "I am the same age as Gordon B. Hinckley."
She also spent a great deal of time doing genealogy work on the Yerby line, inasmuch as Jess was the only member of his family. (Of note, Jess had an Uncle that was a Texas Ranger, and he was noted for two things: he was the quickest draw in Texas, and he was fearless when cleaning up areas of lawlessness when assigned.)
So who is Fern Yerby? A child of God. Walking in a meadow as a little child and feeling that God loved her. As a teenager loving to dance and chord the piano. As a high school graduate, wanting to get more schooling. Her mother borrowed money to help her graduate from the teachers college at Silver City, New Mexico.
A real lady. Colleen and Aunt Ferneth loved to go visit her and show off their new clothes and fancy hats.
An excellent secretary and office manager following her early teaching years, and returning to teaching in her later years. Teacher in Relief Society, caregiver to her own mother the last few months of her mother’s life. Relief Society President of her Ward and Stake, Missionary to the Lamanites, Temple worker for 20 years, and teacher to hundreds of students in High School, a beloved wife and mother, an adoring aunt to nieces and nephews.
One of her nephews named David spoke of death. His statement was something like this. "If when I die, the people on my street can say, 'I have impacted their life for good,' then I will feel I have been successful in life."
We have been impacted for good by Aunt Fern and her siblings.
She was two years old when her father age 48 went on a Mission to the Central States leaving his 30-year-old wife and four children along with his mother Lora Ann Taylor Brown (76 years old).
Around age 6-7, while waiting for parents to finish visiting friends after church, she went on home alone and out into a meadow near a stream by the forest. At the beautiful meadow she had a wonderful feeling that God loved her and knew and blessed her.
Her father taught her and her sister Wanda how to chord on the piano. They had a little band and played for dances. Aunt Wanda says she had to play the piano most of the time because Aunt Fern was always dancing.
At age 12 her father fell from a wagon and broke his leg as well as pulling his hip from his socket. Her oldest brother Floyd was on a mission and after consulting with the Bishop, it was determined in the spring that her brother should come home to help take care of the family. They needed to move from the high altitude of Luna, NM — at 7,000+ ft it aggravated her father's arthritis that had set in from the accident. Upon Floyd’s arrival home, he took their father to a doctor some nine months after his accident. Following seeing the doctor it was determined to move to the Gila Valley where her father had a farm leased to Robert Johns.
This move took the family to Virden, New Mexico, where she finished high school and then attended the Gila Academy for two years and later graduated from college in Silver City, New Mexico, with a teaching certificate. She was the first — if not the only child of Lon and Tess —who graduated from college. She taught school at Glenwood, NM, and also Wagon Mound, NM, near Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Following this she accepted being a secretary at the Highway Patrol office in Deming, New Mexico. During this employment she met a person named Bill Foster, who was in the National Guard. They were planning marriage when the II World War broke out, and in a matter of days he was gone to the Philippines. He was captured and later died aboard ship while being transported to imprisonment in Japan.
After Grandma Brown's house in Virden burned in 1945, Fern cashed in some of her War Bonds and built a house in Mesa, Arizona, in 1953 so her mother could do genealogy and Temple work for their ancestors. She met Jess Yerby while still in Deming and after their marriage in 1946 moved to El Paso for a short time. She and Uncle Jess would later move to Mesa and live with Grandma. Aunt Fern began teaching in the Mesa School District and Uncle Jess continued his trade as a mechanic on heavy equipment.
Shortly after moving to Mesa, her oldest brother Floyd passed away. Floyd's wife, Mina, had predeceased the year before. Fern invited Floyd's oldest son Dewaine to come and live with them, which he did for a few months before going on a mission. Dewaine was grateful for these few months in Fern, Jess, and Grandma's home. Her poise and soft demeanor was very nurturing. It also helped him to know more of Grandma's history as well as my Aunt Fern.
Some years later she told Dewaine, "I never ever had any trouble with any class discipline. I found that if I spoke softly, and slowly, with respect and dignity to my students, they never were disrespectful to me or disorderly.” Through the years others noticed that, as she addressed them — whether in her Relief Society assignments, doing missionary work, or in the Temple.
Uncle Jess joined the church after working with the Boy Scouts in the ward. Later he became a Ward Clerk in the Bishopric.
Aunt Fern was a secretary to the Ward Relief Society President while Dewaine stayed with them. She was told by the Stake Relief Society President that her records were the most perfect in the Stake. Fern then became the Ward Relief Society President and later the Stake Relief Society President.
After she and Jess were sealed, they became Stake Missionaries to the Maricopa Indians, south of Chandler. (This was the tribe that helped feed the Mormon Battalion when they came from Tucson some 100 years before.) She often spoke of this wonderful experience and the love she had for the Indians. Uncle Jess's quiet manner was an asset in working with the Indians.
They then became temple workers and during this time, Jess died suddenly of a heart attack. This was a very unexpected turn in her life as he was only fifty-seven years old. However, she soon had a feeling of assurance that this was God's will and everything was all right. Aunt Fern continued working in the temple for some 20 years until her health began to fail. Most of these years, her assignment was working with the brides and escorting them through their temple experience for the first time. Often she would say, "You just do not know how sweet these young brides are. I love working with them so much.”
In her later years, one of her claims to fame was, "I am the same age as Gordon B. Hinckley."
She also spent a great deal of time doing genealogy work on the Yerby line, inasmuch as Jess was the only member of his family. (Of note, Jess had an Uncle that was a Texas Ranger, and he was noted for two things: he was the quickest draw in Texas, and he was fearless when cleaning up areas of lawlessness when assigned.)
So who is Fern Yerby? A child of God. Walking in a meadow as a little child and feeling that God loved her. As a teenager loving to dance and chord the piano. As a high school graduate, wanting to get more schooling. Her mother borrowed money to help her graduate from the teachers college at Silver City, New Mexico.
A real lady. Colleen and Aunt Ferneth loved to go visit her and show off their new clothes and fancy hats.
An excellent secretary and office manager following her early teaching years, and returning to teaching in her later years. Teacher in Relief Society, caregiver to her own mother the last few months of her mother’s life. Relief Society President of her Ward and Stake, Missionary to the Lamanites, Temple worker for 20 years, and teacher to hundreds of students in High School, a beloved wife and mother, an adoring aunt to nieces and nephews.
One of her nephews named David spoke of death. His statement was something like this. "If when I die, the people on my street can say, 'I have impacted their life for good,' then I will feel I have been successful in life."
We have been impacted for good by Aunt Fern and her siblings.
Information for Fern Brown Yerby
Parents: Stephen Alonzo Brown & Bertha Teresa Reynolds
Birth: 9 January 1911
Place: Luna, New Mexico
Marriage: 22 April 1946
Place: Tucson, Arizona
Sealed: [date?]
Place: Mesa Arizona Temple
Died: 27 November 1998
Place: Apache Junction, Arizona
Buried: Mesa, Arizona
Spouse: Jess Lee Yerby
Spouse’s Birth: 22 March 1915
Spouse’s Place: Darwin, Oklahoma
Spouse’s Parents: Mortland Hampton Yerby & Lula May Sweeten
Died: ?? ?? 1972
Birth: 9 January 1911
Place: Luna, New Mexico
Marriage: 22 April 1946
Place: Tucson, Arizona
Sealed: [date?]
Place: Mesa Arizona Temple
Died: 27 November 1998
Place: Apache Junction, Arizona
Buried: Mesa, Arizona
Spouse: Jess Lee Yerby
Spouse’s Birth: 22 March 1915
Spouse’s Place: Darwin, Oklahoma
Spouse’s Parents: Mortland Hampton Yerby & Lula May Sweeten
Died: ?? ?? 1972