Grace Clark Yeaworth
January 3, 1931 - August 17, 2020
Obituary
Born in Kellogg, Idaho to Asa and Ethel Julson Clark, Grace’s family moved to Spokane while she was a young child and where she was raised with her brother, Gilbert. She graduated from North Central High School with honors and attended Whitworth College, where she met the love of her life, David Victor Yeaworth.
Grace and David were married at Knox Presbyterian Church in Spokane in 1952. Shortly thereafter they moved to Edinburgh Scotland where she taught grammar school, while David studied to earn his PhD. They came back to America via the Queen Mary and settled in White Plaines, New York where David started his pastorate as an associate at White Plains Presbyterian and they had two children: David Jr. and Christine.
They planted their roots again in Spokane when David accepted an invitation to become the head pastor of Northwood Presbyterian in 1960. Ever the educator, Grace volunteered her professional skills at the church as the leader of numerous Bible schools, Sunday schools, and high school fellowship groups.
In 1970, the Yeaworth family moved to Bellevue, Washington where David served as head pastor of Newport Presbyterian. There, Grace and David further developed their Christian education program by leading several youth deputation teams to destinations throughout North America and abroad to produce student-taught Bible schools in impoverished communities.
Grace and David moved to the Philadelphia area in the early 1980s when David accepted a call to become the head pastor of Ardmore Presbyterian and so the couple could be closer to his side of the family. During their time there, they became acutely aware of the plight of the Palestinian people and the injustices laid upon them. Motivated by their commitment to justice and peace, they led several study tours to Israel and Palestine to inform church leaders and others about the crises occurring in the Middle East and to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
Throughout her life, she showered love upon her family. Grace was and is one of the best listeners imaginable. When she asked, “How was your day?” she meant it with sincerity and invariably followed up with another question to encourage you to share more of your life with her. With the help of David, she often served as the primary caretaker of members of the couple’s extended family—visiting regularly, taking care of administrative needs, and making sure loved ones felt loved. Similarly, she was a gracious hostess, who always put the needs of others before hers.
In their final chapter on Earth, Grace and David moved to the Wesley Homes retirement community in Des Moines, Washington to be near their children. They often reflected on how thankful they were to be among so many loving congregations and communities, and to have such wonderful and supportive friends.
Grace died peacefully in her sleep on August 17th, nine months after David. They loved each other dearly. Just as they were always together throughout their adult lives, they’re together again. They are survived by their son, David, daughter and son-in-law, Christine and Donald Bollinger, and three grandsons, Andrew, Timothy, and Daniel.
