John S. Yerly, 78, of DeKalb passed away Sunday December 1st after a long battle with multiple cancers. Born in LaSalle, he spent his childhood in Mark and Granville and graduated from St. Bede Academy in Peru, IL in 1964. He enlisted in the USAF in 1966, trained as a helicopter mechanic while he attended University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1971 followed by his master’s degree in 1975.  He returned to Illinois where he worked for Carus Chemical (LaSalle), Avon (Morton Grove), and CFS Continental (Chicago). He was a community organizer and served eight years as city councilman of Crystal Lake. With an insatiable wanderlust, he left corporate life for a career in Training and Consulting, which allowed him to see the world.  He returned to corporate life where he finally retired from Caterpillar Inc. In addition to all his career accomplishments, he still found the time to design and build his own home (Steward), pen his memoirs, and publish a book about his cancer journey. 

John attributed his successes in life and career to the Benedictine Monks of St. Bede Academy and the lifelong friendships he maintained through his leadership of the Alumni Association.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Sebastian and Ernestine Yerly. He is survived by his wife Dolores ‘Dolly’ (VanVlerah) Yerly, daughters Cristine (Craig) Kingston, Amy (Steve) Frank, and Jacque (Jesse) Nordhausen, their seven grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and his brother Alan ‘Bud’ (Anita) Yerly, his niece and two nephews.

Visitation will be held Sunday, December 8, 2024 from 10 a.m. to noon, with memorial service to immediately follow, at Anderson Funeral Home, DeKalb, IL. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Bede Alumni Association or to St. Bede Academy.

For information, visit www.AndersonFuneralHomeLtd.com or call 815-756-1022.