John Edward Yorke, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, died August 25, 2026, in Kansas City, after a battle with interstitial lung disease.
Born March 3, 1943, in Denver, Colorado, to Jerome and Ruth (Olson) Yorke, John grew up in Derby, Colorado, where he and his siblings created their own small town. Naturally, John ran the town bank. That early imagination and sense of community would become threads throughout his life.
The family moved to Sedan, Kansas, around the time John entered high school. He went on to attend the University of Kansas, where he joined Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity and forged lifelong friendships and a deep connection to both the organization and the university. John remained involved with AKL long after graduation and was instrumental in bringing the fraternity back to campus after a prolonged absence. He continued to serve the organization as a chapter advisor until his death.
John went on to law school at KU, earning his Juris Doctor in 1968. After graduation, he was drafted into the Army and served during the Vietnam War.
Upon his return from Vietnam, John began a career with the Federal Reserve Bank, where he worked for more than thirty years. He retired as senior vice president of the Kansas City branch. Throughout his career, John was known not only for his leadership and commitment to his work, but also for the relationships he built along the way.
In 1971, John met Carol Godell through mutual friends at Jimmy’s Jigger in Kansas City, Kansas. The two married in 1973 and had two children, Michael and Ruth. John’s work later brought the family to Colorado, where they lived in Evergreen for five years before returning to Kansas.
After retiring from the Bank, John and Carol embraced their love of travel and became world travelers, visiting six of the seven continents. Their adventures took them to places including the Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu, Tibet, Italy, Sweden, and Germany, where they visited John’s niece Sarah Yorke, among many other destinations.
In May 2020, John’s son Michael and his wife, Shannon (Carpenter), welcomed Elizabeth Mary Carpenter Yorke into the world. Elizabeth was a shining light in the life of Grandpa John and brought a new and special joy to his later years.
John devoted himself to numerous organizations and causes throughout his life. He was a member of Rotary International, served as chair of the Economic Club of Kansas City, and volunteered with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), serving as a board member for CASA of Jackson County and CASA of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties. CASA’s mission of advocating for abused and neglected children in the court system became especially meaningful to John and Carol, and the organization became dear to their hearts.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Jerome and Ruth; his sisters and brothers-in-law, Jeanine and Harold Hubbell and Joanne and Cleo Marcus; his sister-in-law, Sidonie Anne Yorke; his nephew, Steve Marcus; and other relatives and friends.
He is survived by his wife, Carol; his son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Shannon Yorke; his granddaughter, Elizabeth; his daughter and son-in-law, Ruth Yorke and Ben Diederich; his brother and sister-in-law, Jerry and Toni Yorke; his sister and brother-in-law, Cindy and Roy Broxterman; and numerous nieces and nephews, relatives, and friends.
John was a kind, loving, and generous man. He had a way of making the people around him feel valued, and those lucky enough to know him were better for having him in their lives. His legacy will live on not only in the family he loved so deeply, but also in the many friendships he formed, the organizations he served, and the people whose lives he touched.
The Rosary will be prayed at 4:30 p.m. with the Visitation following from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday, September 3, at the Porter Funeral Home, Lenexa, KS. The Memorial Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, September 4, at Church of the Ascension, 9510 W. 127th St. Overland Park, KS. Private family inurnment will be at Resurrection Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to CASA in John’s name.