Obituary

It is with great sadness that we inform our faithful friends and family of William (Bill) Yoki's passing on July 23rd, 2022. Bill was born in Monessen, PA on August 26th, 1941, to Vilho and Pauline Yoki. He grew up assisting his parents with the family business which was a hardware store in downtown Monessen. He graduated from Monessen High School in 1959 and Washington and Jefferson College in 1963. He was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Bill was an active member of the Tunkhannock Rotary Club from 1978 to 1997. He served as president from 1990-1991 and chaired and participated in many of the service projects that the club supported. He also served as the Chairman for the Rotary District 7410 Youth Exchange Program. His family hosted students from many countries throughout their years in Tunkhannock. For 28 years he was a store manager for the G.C. Murphy Co/Ames Department Stores in various cities, but his longest held position was as store manager for the Murphy's/Ames store on Route 6 in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. He later worked at Brick's Market in Tunkhannock and then moved on to Walmart where he stayed after moving to Atlanta and worked there until his retirement in 2019 after 28 years. After moving to Atlanta, Bill worshipped the Lord with his family at Norcross First United Methodist Church and was a member of the "Generations" Sunday School Class. Bill served as the assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 247 at NFUMC for several years while grandson Isaac was in Scouts. His love for his grandchildren, Tyja, and Isaac, is how most people in Atlanta got to know him. He and Julia attended every activity from band and orchestra performances to volleyball games, basketball games and swim meets. He was extremely proud of Isaac for earning his Eagle Scout award and graduating high school in 2020. He was equally proud of Tyja for her high school graduation in 2018, earning a basketball scholarship to Elon University and college graduation this past May. Some of his favorite times were watching his grandchildren in their activities. Bill and Julia liked to travel and took their daughter and grandchildren on many exciting vacations and cruises over the years. The family had just returned from a trip to Hawaii. Bill is survived by his wife of 57 years, Julia Arnold Yoki; his daughter, Jennifer Yoki; two grandchildren, Tyja Traore and Isaac Traore; his sister, Bonnie Yoki Egros (Jim); two nephews, James Egros (Kelly) and Michael Egros; several sisters and brothers in-law and several nieces and nephews. The memorial service will be Saturday, August 6th at 11:00 AM at the Norcross First United Methodist Church chapel, located at 2500 Beaver Ruin Road, Norcross, GA, 30071, officiated by Rev. Bill Jackson. The family will receive friends from 10 AM until 11 AM at the church. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the service-oriented charity of your choice.