Arno Yurk

When reflecting on the life of Arno Yurk, words such as kind and faithful come to mind, however, perhaps the word that paints the most accurate picture of his life is selfless. It brought him great satisfaction to be of purpose to others in need. He gave of his time freely and enjoyed worshipping at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Portage where he was known to love to read to the first-grade students there. Arno was a friend to many and a stranger to none. His wonderful collection of memories will be his greatest gift to all who knew and loved him.

The Roaring Twenties was a period of sustained economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge. Jazz music was booming, as well as the automotive industry, and the nation was seeing large-scale industrial growth which brought about significant changes during this era. With the media focused on sports heroes and movie figures, David and Katherine (Biel) Yurk eagerly welcomed home their own celebrity, their newborn son, Arno born on June 4, 1923, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. His birth brought his parents great joy.

Growing up with a furniture maker for a father and a homemaker for a mother, Arno knew the value of a hard day’s work from an early age. At the tender age of eight, he met his best friend Joe Lang whom came from Germany. They have remained lifelong friends since those years together. Arno as a child learned German, because of that it facilitated their friendship from the beginning because Joe only spoke German when he first came. and from this friendship he learned German to speak German himself. As a teen, Arno was known for his speed on the football field, earning him the nickname Fleet Foot! His athletic abilities suited him well for a State Championship held at City Stadium in Green Bay. WWII inconvenienced him from completing his high school diploma and later after proudly serving with the United States Navy, he received his GED. In the Navy he served on a Destroyer Escort on the U.S.S Inch. A hard worker with a strong skill set of working well with others, he landed his first career position loading boxcars in Sheboygan for Asgrow, a large seed company in the area. His over thirty-five-year tenure with Asgrow proved to be prosperous as he continued to accept raises and job transfers until his retirement.

Not to be forgotten was the first love of his life, Marjorie Lamb. The two of them fell in love during their years in high school and remained sweethearts for more than fifty-two years. Marrying on August 15, 1945, and raising six wonderful children together, the couple built countless memories and saw each other through some of life’s richest blessings. Although he and Marjorie settled in the Portage, Michigan area by 1972, Arno remained very proud of his Wisconsin heritage. For years, he cheered on his Green Packers and was thrilled when his Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series in 2016. Sadly, Marjorie passed away nearly twenty years ago and Arno was left to carry on.

Retirement afforded Arno the time to develop his many special interests. He was an avid cook and loved to grill Brats or cook homemade Chicken Noodle soup. In fact, cooking was something he enjoyed right up until the end. Golfing on a church league kept him active and he enjoyed this pastime well into his 90’s. Arno enjoyed the warmer temperatures of Florida and it was there that he met his second wife, Peggy Jones roughly a year or so after Marjorie had passed. His second marriage gave him the companionship needed to enjoy many outdoor activities as well as socialize with special friends. They shared many common interests and made great memories together.

As much as Arno treasured his role as a father and husband, he found great satisfaction in being a granddad! Arno shared so much of himself with each and every one of them. He relished in the idea of teaching them the simple joys in life and to be full of gratitude. When they each turned roughly four years old, he’d have them write down things they were thankful for and when they turned eighteen, he gave them back their notes to remind them that the most important things in life are often quite simple. His last twelve years, he was widowed once again and he leaned on his faith and his children to get him through. A firm believer in the faith he was raised in, Arno was a Godly man who looked on the bright side of life. This faith helped him as a cancer survivor for over 30 years. Although necessarily stubborn at times, there wasn’t anything that Arno wouldn’t do for his family. He enjoyed life and saw to it that each of his children and grandchildren were made to feel unconditionally loved by him. Arno will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew and loved him.

Arno E. Yurk, of Portage, passed away on January 4, 2018, at the age of 94. The family received friends on Saturday, January 6th from 12 noon until 1 pm at St. Michael Lutheran Church, 7211 Oakland Drive, Portage. The funeral service was on Saturday at 1 pm at the church. Arno will be buried with military honors at Fort Custer National Cemetery. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Marjorie; second wife, Peggy; daughter, Susan Bowen; grandson, Ian MacLeod, and son-in-law, Ron Bowen. He is survived by six children: Arno (Pam) Yurk, of Galesburg; Kathy (Lee) Rosenboom, of CA; Patrick (Deb) Yurk, of Holland; Jerry (Todd Fisher) Yurk, of Paw Paw; Christy (Ken) MacLeod, of Portage; 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Please visit Arno’s webpage at www.lifestorynet.com where you can sign the guestbook, and share a memory with the family. Those who wish may make contributions to St. Michael Lutheran School and/or Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan.