Mary A. "Penny" Yarbrough

Mary A. “Penny” Yarbrough, 85, of Jonesboro, died Wednesday at Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House.

Born in Eupora, Mississippi, Penny was a 1948 graduate of The Baptist School of Nursing in Memphis and moved to Jonesboro in 1950 where she was a registered nurse for Dr. W.E. Berry. Following Dr. Berry’s death in 1962, Dr. William Garner assumed the medical practice and Penny continued as his nurse.

In 1968, Penny was named Director of Nursing for St. Bernard’s Hospital, the first director who was not a sister in OSB. Following her service at St. Bernard’s, Penny began a career with the Arkansas Department of Human Services. She served as an RN at George W. Jackson Mental Health Center, and also as a Nursing Home Auditor before her retirement in 1992.

Penny was a member of First Baptist Church where she was a Sunday school teacher. She was named an Honorary Kentucky Colonel in 1972 for her 3-month work with the American Red Cross following a devastating tornado there.

Known for her beautiful and interesting gardens and yard, Penny was an avid Master Gardner and a founding member of the ASU Museum Garden Club. She was a statewide speaker on the subject of Wildflowers in Arkansas. She would generously share her knowledge and plants with everyone.

Her generosity was experienced by all walks of life. She was a long-time collector of Niloak Pottery and had donated her extensive collection to Arkansas State University. She planned and developed a wildflower beautification campaign that brought the beauty of wildflowers to many parts of Jonesboro. She would often cook up a batch of her famous pralines or those delicious chocolate raspberry cakes making sure they were hand delivered to those who needed a smile or a thank you.

Penny was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Lura Sprayberry Pendergrast and her sister, Marian Brown. She was also preceded in death by two loving and devoted husbands, Richard “Dick” Adams, Sr. and Kenneth Yarbrough.

Survivors include her son, Richard Adams, Jr. of Germantown, Tennessee; her daughter and son-in-law, Jan and Lu Nguyen of Jonesboro; her sister, Ernestine James of Gore Springs, Mississippi; and three grandchildren: Meriweather Adams and Richard “Tiger” Adams III, both of Memphis and Phillip Adam Banks of Bryant. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held Saturday morning at 10:00 in Emerson Memorial Chapel with Dr. Bruce Tippit officiating. Entombment will follow in Jonesboro Memorial Park Mausoleum.
Visitation will be held Friday evening, 5-7, at Emerson Funeral Home.

For lasting memorials, the family asks that consideration be given to the American Red Cross, NEA Chapter, 305 W. Jefferson, Jonesboro, AR 72401, or First Baptist Church, 701 S. Main, Jonesboro, AR 72401.