A total of 15,000 meals being provided in his honor: 1,000 meals for each of Yates’ 15 years of service to Springfield and Clark County, according to a Clark County government release.
Yates, 41, died in the line of duty on July 24 while responding to an incident that left two others dead at Harmony Estates Mobile Home Park in Harmony Twp.
The deputy is survived by his wife Tracy; his mother Lisa Yates and father Eugene (Felicia) Yates; mother-in-law Debra Reed; daughter A’kaylehana; two sons: Anthony (Kristina) Reed and Andrew Reed; two sisters: Lisa McPherson and Rochelle (Clarence) Smith; four brothers: Martin Yates, Anthony (Holly) Jeffrey, Stephen Humphrey and Walter Ray; brothers-in-law: Christopher Reed and Timothy (Heather) Reed; sister-in-law, Theresa (Sam) Reed; as well as a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and numerous friends, according to his obituary.
Prior to becoming a deputy, Yates also served at-risk youth at Oesterlen Services for Youth in Springfield, where he met his wife Tracy, and was “deeply committed” to community service in Clark County, according to the release.
“Deputy Yates death is a reminder of the risks that our first responders take serving our community,” said Central Christian Church Senior Pastor Carl Ruby, who also serves as a member of the law enforcement advisory team. “This project will ensure Deputy Yates’ legacy of serving people whose lives are in danger lives on, both here in Springfield, and among those fleeing the war in Ukraine.”
People interested in volunteer opportunities can visit https://www.ccspringfield.org/rsvp.
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