Yvonne Herron, 85, of Chelsea, MI, died February 1, 2021 at home of cancer. A private burial service will be held with the Reverend Alan Gibson, of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, officiating. Due to the pandemic, public visitation will not be held. A service in honor of Yvonne’s memory will be held once all may safely gather.
Yvonne, born May 28, 1935 in Flint, MI, was the daughter of the late Alfred Eric Jacobson and the late Ivy Millicent Jacobson. United in marriage to Thomas James Herron on June 11, 1960, at All Saints Catholic Church in Flint, they were lovingly married for 57 years until his death in 2017.
Yvonne graduated from Beecher High School a week before one of the deadliest tornadoes in US history destroyed her family home and those of hundreds of others. The embedded memories of that day remained with her throughout her life. Yvonne went on to Flint Junior College before transferring to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. She not only earned her BA from Michigan, but returned to twice complete graduate degrees, including a Masters in Education and a Masters in Library Science. At Michigan, she was inducted into honor societies including Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Phi Mu. She began her professional career teaching at her alma mater, Beecher, in 1957.
After taking time off to raise her young children, Yvonne began working part-time at the Civic Park Library in Flint and later became a librarian at Northwestern High School. Over many years, Yvonne developed a diverse library that offered books reflective of the community which attended the school. Yvonne deeply believed in the importance of reading, accumulating a vast collection of books that she shared with friends and family. An avid tennis player, Yvonne also enjoyed frequent bridge games with friends and became a prolific weaver. After retiring from the Flint Community School system in 1992, she and Tom moved to Chelsea. Yvonne volunteered for the Chelsea District Library, and was an active member of the local Mystery Book Club. When she turned 70, she gifted herself a kayak. As she wrote in a letter to Time Magazine in 2007: “I can’t adequately describe the pleasure of paddling on lakes, rivers, and bays.” She continued kayaking in the Chelsea area for many years.
Surviving are her four children: daughter, Kristin Stacy Herron (Scott Gurney); sons, Erik Sean (LeaMarie), Jordan Thomas (Theresa), Brett Patrick (Nina Durniat); seven grandchildren, Ivy Meredith, Amelia Grace, Elijah Neil, Carter Thomas, and Ian Waldemar Herron and George Edward and Jane Neeve Gurney.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed to St. Andrew’s Church, Ann Arbor, MI or to the Yvonne Herron Tribute Fund, which will offer scholarship support to students transferring from community college to the University of Michigan. Arrangements by Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea.
