William Heaton Yerkes, III of Furlong, passed away peacefully on Monday, April 29, 2024 at his home, with his family by his side.
Born in Doylestown, he was the son of the late William Heaton Yerkes, Jr. and Elizabeth Fetters Slack.
Bill was raised on the family’s None Such Farm in Buckingham and attended Buckingham High School where he excelled in academics and athletics. Bill graduated from Penn State in 1951 with a degree in Agricultural Economics. While there he was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, which he credited with giving him the leadership skills he used his entire life. He also played fullback on the PSU Soccer team, winning National Championships in 1949 and 1950.
After graduation, Bill returned home and married his beloved, Nancy Jane Worthington. Bill and Nancy had known each other since childhood, dated through high school and college, and married in 1953. They enjoyed 67 years of marriage before her death in 2021.
Bill was at his happiest on a tractor in the field. None Such was well known for their fresh sweet corn, harvested at night, and shipped to local supermarkets. Bill and his brother, John, helped None Such Farms flourish, taking the bold step of building the farm market in 1978. In 1982 Pennsylvania awarded them with the Master Farmer designation. Bill continued to farm well into his 70’s. He often said that he had never worked a day in his life because he enjoyed what he did.
Bill was a man of many talents and believed strongly in giving back to the community. He served on many boards. He was a founding member on the Bucks County Land Preservation Board, helping preserve more than 18,000 acres during his 35 years and was recently elected to serve for three more years. He was a Buckingham Twp Supervisor, served on the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology Board Authority for more than 50 years, was a Bank Director for Third Federal Savings Bank, and enjoyed singing with the Barbershop Chorus.
Bill and Nancy enjoyed wonderful times with family and friends. In addition to trips to Bobst Mountain Hunting Club, Bill enjoyed hunting and fishing with his son, Mark, in Alaska. In Bucks County, nothing made Bill happier than having a crowd around his kitchen table where he appreciated hearty appetites and was always asking you to eat just one more ear of corn.
Bill was a devoted Christian and was looking forward to being reunited with his beloved family in Heaven.
Bill is survived by his loving children: son, William H. IV (Kim) and daughters: Bonnie (Rich) and Leanne (Joseph). He is also survived by eleven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, his beloved sister, Barbara (Jim) of Florida and brother, Skip (Judy) of Solebury, and his faithful dog, Ellie.
Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy, son, Mark, brother, John and infant great-granddaughter, Evangeline.
Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate Bill’s life at his memorial service at 11 a.m., Friday, May 10 at Doylestown Presbyterian Church, 127 East Court Street, Doylestown where the family will greet friends from 10 a.m., until the time of the service. Interment will be private. The service will be live-streamed.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mr. Yerkes’s name may be made to: Delaware Valley University, Att: Lexi Harrell, 700 East Butler Avenue, Doylestown, PA 18901 (in memo include: William Yerkes Scholarship).