Thomas Yarbrough Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Thomas Douglas (Camp) Yarbrough passed from this earth on July 30, 2015. A celebration of this old hippy's life will be held Saturday, August 22 from 2:00-4:00 PM at Distinctive Life, located at 5455 Dashwood in Bellaire, Texas with John O. Roark officiating Tom was born July 5, 1949 in Corsicana Texas to Irving and Betty (Yates) Camp. When he lost his mother as a young boy, LaVelle and Joe Yarbrough adopted Tommy and his younger brother Lynn. Although his non-conformist ways and perpetual need of a haircut drove her crazy, LaVelle remained the stabilizing and nurturing force in his life until her death in 2001. Tom attended high school in Denton (occasionally) and moved to Houston during the building boom of the early 70's. A master carpenter and general contractor, he lived most of his adult life in the Houston area, and the last 20 years as a resident of Stafford. Tom loved his art (carpentry), listening to live music and playing guitar. His greatest source of joy was his family and his friendships. The concept of "stranger" was foreign to Tom who lived in a world full of friends - some of whom he had simply not met yet. A free spirit his whole life, he lived for a time in Haight Ashbury and Guadalajara, Mexico in the 60's, and was quick to pick up and visit friends, sometimes for too long and without invitation, wherever life took him. His fearless love of adventure was never more evident than when he visited Taiwan for his son's wedding in 2007, and would frequently venture off on solo outings to experience the local culture and make friends, despite the fact that he did not know the language. Tom made friends everywhere he went, and most often they became friends for life. He experienced genuine joy in the happiness and success of others. Generous to a fault, he would (and frequently did) give a friend the last $10 in his pocket if he saw a need. During his short battle with cancer, these friends were a constant source of comfort and support - Mark, David, Johnny and Chris. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Lynn Allen (Camp) Yarbrough and Ronald Camp; great aunts, Mary Jane Camp and Myrtle May Camp; his longtime companion, Frances "Cookie" Nanez; and his stepson, Matthew Nanez. He is survived by his children, son, Ray Abraham Yarbrough, and wife, Angela, daughter, Sarah Yarbrough Roark and husband, Allen; his first wife, Suella Yarbrough Heckt; three step-daughters, Selena Nanez and husband, Edward, Jessica Nanez and husband, Benny, and Heather Nanez, and husband, Robert; stepson, Jake Nanez; niece, Ami Yarbrough and husband, Marco; sister-in-law, Edna Yarbrough; three cousins, Katie Van Hooser, Patrick Van Hooser, and Ron Van Hooser. He is also survived by a veritable passel of beloved grand "babies". "PawPaw" will be dearly missed by Samuel, Abigail, Hannah, John, Jameson, EJ, Nicholas, Jacob, Kelsey, Destiny, Caleb, Jada, Bree, Jacoby, Little Matt, Frankie, Anthony, and Nevaeh. The family would like to thank the physicians, nurses and medical staff of M.D. Anderson for his excellent care, and especially to the exceptional Dr. Nathan Fowler. In lieu of flowers the family request that memorial contributions be made to the Halo House Foundation of Houston, Texas - www.halohousefoundation.org