David M. Yates, 70, of The Villages, Fla., formerly of Bristol, died Sept. 23 after a courageous battle with cancer.
A Maine native, David was born Oct. 8, 1935 in Round Pond, son of Edmund M. and Alice E. Yates.
David attended Portland schools and excelled in track and basketball while at Portland High. He received the prestigious Preti Award and Brown medal, in recognition for high honors in athletics and academics. He graduated from Gorham State Teachers College where he was a member of Kappa Delta Phi fraternity.
He began his 32-year teaching career at Stonington High School in Connecticut. He later taught high school in Skowhegan, Bristol, and Union. The majority of his teaching career was spent at Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, where he taught for 21 years. He was head of the Industrial Arts Department at Medomak, teaching graphics, printing, photography and drafting. Mr. Yates was Medomak’s softball coach for several years, where his girls’ varsity team won numerous regional championships. He also served as president of the Medomak Valley Teachers Association.
As director of Project COVE (Coastal Opportunities in Vocational Education) in the mid 70’s, Mr. Yates was instrumental with fundraising for the expansion of Medomak Valley’s Resource Conservation and Development programs. These programs included forestry, marine biology, boat building, and horticulture conservation. It involved the construction of a greenhouse and other school buildings by students, which allowed such classes to be offered as part of the vocational education curriculum. He was also actively involved in Awake, a building trades program at Medomak. He was proud of the fact that Medomak was the only high school in Maine, at that time, where students did the construction. This hands-on, work-study experience enabled students graduating from these programs to be prepared for the world of work after graduation.
His retirement from teaching in 1989, combined with his love for antiques, prompted him to start his own antiques business; it was aptly called Silver Fox Antiques in Bristol.
He was an avid hunter and enjoyed gardening, tending to his many vegetable gardens.
Surviving are his wife, Annie of The Villages, Fla.; son, Philip Yates and wife Lisa of South Berwick; daughters, Joanna Yates and companion Marie McCarthy of North Yarmouth, and Kristen Doughty of Glocester, R.I.; former wife, friend and mother of his children, Faith L. Ball of Nobleboro; granddaughters, Amanda, Madeline, Isabella, Stephanie, Laura, and Rebecca; stepsons, Roy Lenardson and wife Joanne Leary of Scarborough, Jason Lenardson and wife Jennifer of South Portland, Peter Lenardson and wife Joni of Las Vegas, Nev., and Eric Lenardson and wife Jodi of Scarborough; stepdaughter, Rachel Ernst and husband Skip of Sydney; step-grandchildren, Christine, Anders, Adam, William, Nicolle, Zakk, Josh, Cassandra and Evan.
Funeral service 10 a.m., Fri., Sept. 29 at Halls Funeral Home, 949 Main St., Waldoboro. Burial will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery, Round Pond.
Celebration of life to follow at a later date: a boat ride on Muscongus Bay, New Harbor.
Arrangements are entrusted to Hall Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Waldoboro.
