Robert "Bob" Yankle II

Retired LCDR Robert Palmer “Bob” Yankle II, 76, went home to be with his Savior on Friday April 5, 2024 at Alamance Regional Medical Center. He was born in Flint, Michigan on December 6, 1947 to the late Robert Palmer Yankle Sr. and Evelyn Lauryne Holler Yankle. 

A proud “Michigander”, he grew up enjoying spending time with his parents and siblings, playing with neighborhood kids, and overall living a simple life. In young adulthood, he proudly served as a waterfront director at a camp in Interlochen, Michigan, where he joyfully taught kids water safety and to love water as much as he did. He eventually pursued a career in the United States Navy where he started as an enlisted service member, then under the advisement of a commanding officer, entered Officer Candidates School(OCS).

Throughout Bob’s twenty years of service to his country, he earned numerous medals and ribbons that spoke to his skill, character, good conduct, and humanitarianism. While in the Navy, he also earned his Masters Degree in Marine Affairs.

In 1988, one of many significant events of Bob’s life occurred when he met Judith Lynne Chapman. After posting an ad in the personal ads column of the local newspaper, Lynne responded. Their love story began through letters, courting, and dates, and before long they were engaged to be married. On July 22, 1989 they united in the covenant of marriage in a small simple ceremony, surrounded by their family and closest friends.

In December of 1990, Bob was given an honorable discharge from the Navy entering a long-standing career in computer database programming. In 1992, his life was once again changed forever with the birth of his one and only child- a daughter named Aubrey. He stated on several occasions that his little girl’s birth day was the proudest day of his life and that on that day, he learned a new kind of love. While his little family’s life together started in Maryland, they eventually landed in Burlington, NC where they would remain as their daughter grew up and until his passing.

Bob had a myriad of interests, talents, and gifts that he loved to share with his wife and daughter. He loved adventure and could create adventure anywhere, whether it was traveling across the country, canoeing on a local river, or simply going on a Sunday afternoon drive with his family by his side.

He also developed a passion for genealogy and spent an extended amount of time researching many generations of his family’s history. He created a large and impressive family tree. Upon completion, Bob spent the next year planning a large Yankle family reunion, which met in his home state of Michigan and was a huge success.

Toward the end of his working years, Bob became an active and valued member of the Sons of the American Revolution.  He often served as their event photographer for everything from awards ceremonies to Revolutionary War re-enactments all over the state of North Carolina. After his retirement, he spent most of his days honing his arts of photography and photo editing. When he was able, he would travel to Michigan to visit his sisters, mother, and other family in the area. As he grew older, he returned to a simpler way of life, staying close to home with his wife and beloved pets.

Bob was a known planner, a man proud of his many accomplishments, and a man who, with his various careers and positions held throughout the years, made many big and important decisions. The biggest and most important decision he ever made, however, was on March 19th of 2024 when he surrendered his life to God and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. In the last weeks of his life, Bob was excited about his new-found love for Christ and wished to share his short but powerful testimony with anyone he came in contact with. Bob’s life was filled with adventure, love, passion, and accomplishment, and on that day of acceptance, it became complete.

Bob is survived by his loyal and loving wife of almost 35 years, Lynne Yankle; his daughter Aubrey Faucette and her husband Nicholas Faucette; sisters Svona Kennedy Yankle and Kathryn Yankle-King, brother Glenn Yankle and his wife Tanda Yankle; granddaughter Daniella, grandsons Jensen and Dalton, and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held in the chapel of Lowe Funeral Home in Burlington, North Carolina on April 27, 2024 at 2:00pm.  The family will receive friends at the home following the service.  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital.  You may sign the online register book at www.lowefuneralhome.com.