Obituary

Ann Marie Yackel, 74, of Blaine, Washington, passed away March 17, 2020, at Peace Health Saint Joseph Hospital in Bellingham, Washington, of a massive brain hemorrhage. She was born in Decatur, Illinois, on October 29, 1945. She was the wife of Walter Carl Yackel, an Illinois native as well. They were married for 47 years.

Ann graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, in 1967 with a degree in Home Economics. She then worked in the A. E. Staley Research Center in Decatur and Chicago, before moving to Kraft Kitchens, preparing foods for the advertising photographers.

Ann was a devoted gardener at home and a certified Master Gardener in Decatur, Illinois. She loved to travel to Arizona in spring to enjoy the desert in bloom. Ann and her husband also enjoyed many trips to Alaska and northern Canada, especially trips above the Arctic Circle. In 1995, she and her husband bought a cottage on the Alaska Highway outside of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, where they spent several weeks every year enjoying the beautiful countryside in summer and fall. Ann especially loved photography and took her camera everywhere she went, taking hundreds of pictures especially of flowers.

A larger gathering celebrating her life will be held at a later date when it is safer to do so. In lieu of flowers, a donation in Ann’s name to the Juvenile Diabetes Association would be appropriate.