Yates Strong

1983 - 2025

Celebrating the Life of Yates Drabek Strong.

On September 3, 2025, Yates Drabek Strong, age 42 of Boise, Idaho, completed his time here on "Earth School" and moved on to the next adventure.

Yates was a protector, a jokester, a steady presence, and a wild spirit; potentially the best and worst person to ever walk this earth, depending on the day, depending on the hour. He lived boldly, laughed loudly, and loved deeply. He was the kind of soul who showed up when you needed him, cracked a joke when you least expected it, and reminded everyone around him not to take life too seriously.

Of all the lessons Yates embodied, loyalty to family was the most essential. His fierce devotion to his people was unwavering ; whether by showing up, standing guard, or simply making them laugh when life felt heavy, family was always at the center of who he was.

He continues to live on through his sons, Kyler and Caleb Bryant, and partner in life and soul mate Misty. His siblings Duncan, Jacob, Tranquilla, Theotosca, Kris, and Stuart carry his memory forward, along with his nieces Malyssa, Maleah, Morgana, Aurora, Lydia, Vontella, and Lexi; his nephews Torrin, Ebon, and Ian; and many great-nieces and nephews who will always remember Uncle Yates with love and laughter. He is reunited now with his mother, Judith, who surely welcomed him home with open arms, and one of his best friends, Marcos.

A Celebration of Life will be held October 19th, 2025 from 12 p.m.-7 p.m. in Idaho City at the steamboat gulch sledding hill. In true Yates fashion, it won't be about sorrow, but about music, laughter, stories, and a reminder that love never leaves ; it just changes form.

Yates has simply graduated, moving beyond the lessons of Earth School, leaving us all with homework: to live boldly, laugh often, and love family with the kind of fierce loyalty that defined his life.