Michael A Yerkes

March 3, 2015 - March 3, 2015

Date of Notice: Tuesday, March 3, 2015; Burlington County Times. Michael Anthony Yerkes, stellar handyman, snappy dresser, accomplished curmudgeon, and world traveler, passed away Saturday, February 7, 2015, at home in Medford. Mike loved fishing, gardening, bourbon, fixing things while listening to oldies on his 30-year-old boombox, spending time with his grandchildren, and complaining about the geese that pooped on his lawn. He also enjoyed building and remodeling his home and his son's home. He could build anything from a dam to a sunroom to a pirate ship playhouse, and took pride in a job well done. He taught his children to have a strong work ethic, sing along with country music, shuck corn, surf-cast, and love the sea. Born in Boston, MA, Mike resided in New Jersey since 1983. He was the first of his family to go to college, and paid his way through with an extraordinary variety of gigs including refinishing bowling alleys, which left him with a powerful aversion to bowling which he was only able to overcome for his grandchildren. He obtained his Masters degree at Johns Hopkins University. Mike was an electronics engineer at Lockheed Martin, and his extensive work travels left him with a love for authentic Asian art, fake Members Only jackets, and incredibly spicy dishes which would incapacitate most other mortals, as well as an enviable collection of muscle tees featuring the logos of beers from various nations. Besides circling the globe dozens of times, Mike also rode a bicycle across Nebraska twice, regularly visited every hardware store in a 20-mile radius of his home to get the best price, and traversed miles of floor holding his howling children and grandchildren to soothe them to sleep, though he was never able to change a single diaper. Mike had many successes in life. The most unexpected of these included becoming a very devoted grandparent, maintaining a truly remarkable mustache for most of his adulthood, and finally teaching his daughter to parallel park in 2013. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Stephen and Dolly Yerkes of Cherry Hill, NJ; his daughter, Jennifer Yerkes of St. Martin; two brothers and a sister-in-law, Steven Yerkes, and Paul and Mary Yerkes; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Ellen and Tom Galifaro, and Barbara and Joe McGuire; three grandchildren, Samantha, Jacob and Joshua; and his nieces and nephews, Ricky, Marty, Sandy and Susan. Relatives and friends may greet the family on Friday, March 6, 2015, from 10-11AM, at the Mathis Funeral Home, 58 N. Main St., Medford, NJ. A memorial service will follow at 11AM at the funeral home. Interment will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his name to the American Cancer Society, 1851 Old Cuthbert Rd., Cherry Hill, NJ 08034.