Edward Augustine Yarnovich

Birth: November 21, 1935 | Died: July 2, 2024

Edward Augustine Yarnovich grew up in a predominantly Croation part of Cleveland, the younger of two sons born to George and Katie Yarnovich. Ed’s brother, Father Joe, left for the seminary when he was 13 and Ed was 8 and was a beloved priest in Ohio for many years. Both born of immigrant parents, George, a nightwatchman at a production facility, and Katie, who cleaned the offices where he worked, lived in a tiny apartment and saved what they could to send Ed to St. Paul Catholic School and Cathedral Latin high school. While his buddies got into all sorts of trouble, they kept Ed on the straight and narrow.

Ed got his first job at age 7 setting up pins at a local bowling alley, and he spent summers with family near Cleveland and in Canton, Ohio, fond memories he spoke of often. He took the bus down and went from one family’s home to the next, staying on a cot, bed or sofa, whatever was available. They’d enjoy ball games, visiting different stores and family dinners complete with a pig roasting.

After high school he attended Case Institute of Technology and when money ran out, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, served for four years and finished his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Ohio State. He was the first in his immediate family—and the only one in his neighborhood—to go to college.

After graduating, Ed met Judy Mack as she was entering a convent in Iowa. Two years later, after Judy decided to leave the religious life with hopes of having a family, their paths crossed in Southern California. They married and had five children. Together they created a network of wonderful friendships with many families. Though they eventually parted, Ed and Judy’s fierce loyalty and love for their family continued and came full circle toward the end of their lives.

Ed worked for Hughes Aircraft for nearly four decades, most notably on ADCAP, a torpedo production project for the U.S. Navy in the 1980s. After retirement, he continued to consult for Hughes, relocating to Rhode Island and Seattle for a short time. He had 32 addresses in his life, including England during his military service and Texas and Switzerland early in his career. He coached and served as an umpire for Little League in Anaheim, and in Yorba Linda, he coached youth soccer and joined Indian Princesses.

He will be remembered for his laugh, easy conversations, river trips, Willie Nelson impersonation, whistling, tinkering around the house, his delicious beef stroganoff and love of loose slot machines, free buffets, Frank Sinatra, Stan Goetz, Chick Correa and Tamburitzas (Croatian music festivals).

Ed’s legacy of hard work and kindness was felt by every person he met including his Hughes coworkers, many of whom became lifelong friends; St. Anthony Claret church friends; Anaheim, Yorba Linda and Alpine neighbors; friends of his children; and even the door-to-door vacuum salesman he invited to dinner once.

He is survived by his children Chris, Susan (Jay), Cathy (Greg), Jeanne (Cory) and Nicole (Marcelo), grandchildren Stephanie, Max, Sophie, Riley, Owen, Jacee, Zoe, Nolan and Emery and his much-loved Ohio family.