Howard Yancey Reser

Howard Yancey Reser, 89, passed away on January 18, 2022, at Providence St. Mary Medical Center with his daughter Linda at his side.

Yancey was born on June 11, 1932, in Walla Walla to Howard and Carrie (Hoover) Reser. He was an only child and the fourth generation to live on the Valley Chapel area farm since the family’s arrival via the Oregon Trail in August of 1863. Yancey loved the farm and this community throughout his life.

Publicly, he was known to many as Judge Reser, having been elected to the Walla Walla County Superior Court in 1977 and serving until he retired in 1996. He appreciated the opportunity to work with exceptional teams to provide impartial justice and had a reputation for fairness and a sharp intellect. His legal career began in 1961 at Bogle, Bogle & Gates in Seattle before returning home to Walla Walla in 1970 to be closer to family. He joined the firm that later became Sherwood, Tugman, Gose & Reser.

Yancey was a lifelong learner who thrived in school. His mother was proud of the fact that he completed two grades in one school year at Valley Chapel School. He graduated from Walla Walla High School in 1949 and from Washington State University in 1953 with an accounting degree. Yancey was also a Husky having graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in the Class of 1961, but his loyalties were clear. He was a proud Cougar fan and enjoyed attending football games with family and friends.

One of Yancey’s greatest successes at school was meeting the love of his life, LaVonne DeBeaumont, a fellow Walla Wallan with whom he commuted to Pullman. They married on October 2, 1954, and started their life together in New Jersey, where Yancey was stationed in the U.S. Army. Soon thereafter, they were transferred to Stuttgart, Germany. After he was discharged, they moved to Seattle but interrupted his legal studies for a two-year position in Lahore, Pakistan where he worked as an accountant for a WSU agricultural education program. Throughout their lives they enjoyed travel and making and maintaining close friendships, including through calls, visits, and Christmas cards. They particularly cherished their time at Guemes Island and loved crabbing and clamming.

As much as Yancey enjoyed presiding in a courtroom, his real joy was presiding over his family and the farm. He and LaVonne were proud parents, grandparents, and great grandparents and were both deeply involved in the community. He enjoyed participating in many activities with his children and grandchildren. LaVonne and Yancey worked together after the birth of their son David, who has Down syndrome, to advocate for disability rights. Yancey was engaged for decades on water issues throughout the Walla Walla watershed and particularly on the West Little Walla Walla River. He was a member of the Walla Walla Downtown Lions, the Elks, and Pioneer United Methodist Church.

We will remember Yancey for his quick and remarkably loud laugh, typically following the retelling of one of his classic stories; for his love of pheasant hunting and the dogs that accompanied him; and for being a prolific reader of news, follower of politics, and filer of paper. He was a man of simple pleasures like savoring a tomato picked right off the vine and watching birds and the changing seasons on the farm. In his later years, his days were marked by the PBS NewsHour and filled with the joys of observing beaver activity in the barnyard, a visit with a friend or family member, a cat in his lap, and a delicious meal or snack topped off with a glass of skim milk.

The family is particularly grateful to Dr. Jon Gardner for his exceptional care and thanks him and the staff at Providence St. Mary Regional Cancer Center for all the extra time they gave us with Yancey.

Yancey is survived by five children: Linda (David) Gilvey, Shareen (Greg) Knowles, David Reser, Scott Reser, and Todd Reser (Danielle Garbe Reser); seven grandchildren: Kaylee Knowles (Alex Rothaus), Kyler (Hanna) Knowles, Jonathan Gilvey, Zachary Gilvey, Katherine Gilvey, Katana Reser, and Kaiden (Austin) Reser; three great-grandchildren: Eliah, Atlas, and Alexzavier; and his “summer son” Mark Jurkovich. He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife, “Vonnie.”

The family thanks Rev. Chuck Hindman for conducting the January 22 burial service at Mountain View Cemetery and appreciates everyone who attended or sent condolences. We will host a celebration of life this summer; details to follow when the public health situation allows. Those wishing to honor Yancey could consider making a contribution to Valley Residential Services, your local PBS station, or the charity of your choice through the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder Street, Walla Walla, WA 99362.

We invite you to pause the next time you’re outside and marvel at our region’s beauty. As Yancey said recently while looking at the Blue Mountains, “There are a lot of great views in the world, and this is one of them.”