Dr. Ronald Favorite Yake, of Fontana, passed away May 17, 2018, at his home in Fontana.
Ronald Favorite Yake was born Aug. 3, 1935, in Huntington, Ind., to Herbert Jennings and Helen (Favorite) Yake.
Dr. Ronald F. Yake, M.D., was a singular man, he served as a meat inspector in the U.S. Air Force from 1954 to 1958 and was stationed primarily in Dublin, Ireland. This formative experience led him to pursue a career in medicine using the G.I. Bill upon his return to the states. He attended Jacksonville State University, where he met his beautiful wife, Kathryn, and then attended medical school at the University of Alabama. He was top of his class, and was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society. From there, he trained at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for neurosurgery before starting a private practice in Rockford, Ill., working primarily at St. Anthony’s Hospital. After retirement, he spent the last 13 years of his life in Fontana. He was truly extraordinary, a brilliant Renaissance man well versed in many diverse subjects. His generosity, thoughtfulness and passion for excellence serve as an enduring example to all he encountered, his beloved daughters and grandchildren most especially.
Ronald is survived by his daughters, Randi Barbón, Rosalind (Mark) Meyer and Suzanne (Karl) Floody; grandchildren Kathryn and Rachel Barbón, J. Kyle and Erin Davis, Sawyer Meyer, and Samantha and Annalise Floody; sister, Roxie Moore; brother, Wayne (Tina) Yake; sister-in-law, Margaret Yake and numerous nephews and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Kathryn, whom he married on Sept. 2, 1961 in Jacksonville, Alabama; his daughter, Lisa Kathryn Yake; sister, Charlotte (Donald) Vollmar, and brother, Terry Yake.
Service will be at a later date in Jacksonville, Ala.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that donations be made to the American Cancer Society at www.donate.cancer.org.
Local arrangements were handled by Toynton’s Walworth Funeral Home.
