Lynn Yeakel

1941 - 2022

Yeakel Lynn (nee Hardy) Of Rosemont, PA, known affectionately to her six grandchildren as "Lynn Lynn," died on January 13, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. She was surrounded by her loving husband, Paul M. Yeakel, and her two children, Courtney L. Yeakel and Paul M. Yeakel, Jr. Lynn, a tireless advocate for women's rights, was -- most importantly -- a hero to her family, especially her six grandchildren. Her granddaughter, Mae Yeakel, posted on Instagram "Lynn Lynn ...my beloved grandmother and my role model. I aspire to have your courage, grace and resiliency ... I am on my way." Her grandson, Max, said "I am bursting with pride to have had Lynn Lynn as my grandmother and role model. I intend to honor her legacy." Ms. Yeakel was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on July 9, 1941, to Porter Hardy, Jr., who later served as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Lynn Moore, a schoolteacher. She graduated from Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Ms. Yeakel was a co-founder and chief executive of Women's Way, the first and largest women's fundraising coalition in the nation. In 1992, the "Year of the Woman," Yeakel ran for U.S. Senate. She won the Democratic primary and came close to defeating incumbent Arlen Specter. Subsequently, Yeakel served as Regional Director for Health and Human Services under President Clinton. President Clinton stated in a letter penned to the Yeakel family "I will always be grateful for her fine work in my administration ...I hope you will find comfort in the knowledge ...that her life and career inspired countless people to live by her example." Perhaps her most crowning achievement was her visionary leadership of Drexel University's Institute for Women's Health and Leadership, where she established the Woman One Award and Scholarship Fund, an annual event honoring a woman of exceptional leadership in the Philadelphia region while also raising significant medical school scholarship funds to support underrepresented students. Drexel University and the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership will continue to pursue the goals envisioned by Ms. Yeakel with the support of the Yeakel family, Ms. Yeakel's many devoted friends and colleagues, and Drexel University. Ms. Yeakel is survived by her husband, Paul M. Yeakel, her children, Courtney and Paul Yeakel, Jr., and her six grandchildren Maxwell M. Arias, Mae H. Yeakel, Chloe E. Arias, Wesley P. Yeakel, Joaquin M. Arias, and Russell M. Yeakel. She was predeceased by her brother, Porter Hardy, III. A public Memorial Service is scheduled for April 23, 2022 at 11 A.M. at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, followed by a reception at St. David's Golf Club. The Yeakel family has established a charitable fund in honor of Ms. Yeakel's vision for gender equality, which is housed at the Philadelphia Foundation as the Lynn Hardy Yeakel Legacy Fund. Gifts can be made at http://www.philafound.org, by clicking on the orange Give Now button and entering Lynn Hardy Yeakel. Checks can also be mailed directly to the Philadelphia Foundation, 1835 Market Street, Suite 2410, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2968 with Lynn Hardy Yeakel Legacy Fund on the memo line.