Craig H. Yorke Sr.

Craig H. Yorke Sr., died Sunday, June 12, 2005, at Midland Hospice. He had been very active until May 27, when he fell after driving home from a delightful lunch with his grandson, Zack. He was born Dec. 24, 1912, in New Bedford, Mass., the son of Everett and Carolyn Piper York. He was separated from his parents at age four and spent his youth under many different roofs. He survived the Great Depression as a cook, chauffeur, porter and baseball player. He married Dorothy Britt Reid on Sept. 21, 1941. She passed away on April 7, 1988. They had lived in Topeka since 1986. He was a member of First Congregational Church. He overcame limitations of poverty and race by educating himself, first as a draftsman and later as an electrical engineer. He was named a Registered Professional Engineer in Boston in 1959. He held numerous positions, both in private industry and federal agencies. He retired from the Corps of Engineers in Tulsa, Okla., in 1986. He will be missed by his son, Craig Yorke, Jr., MD, and daughter-in-law, Mary Powell Yorke of Topeka; and grandsons, Zachary and Christopher Yorke, of Philadelphia, Pa., and Williamstown, Mass.,, respectively. Other survivors include his sister-in-law, Thelma Martin of Philadelphia, Pa., and her family; his niece Yvonne York White of Washington, D.C., and her family; his brother-in-law, Norman Reid of Wilmington, Mass., and his family; his nephew, Lloyd Reid of Lexington, Ky., and his family; his cousin, Liz Avelino of Pittsburgh, Calif., and the Thomas Powell family of San Jose, Calif. After cremation, a memorial service will follow at First Congregational Church, at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 18. Inurnment at Mount Hope will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests contributions be made to the Dorothy and Craig Yorke, Sr. Scholarship Fund (in care of Topeka Community Foundation, 5431 S.W. 29th St., Topeka, 66614, or to the First Congregational Church, 1701 S.W. Collins, Topeka, 66604. Craig H. Yorke Sr.