He was one of a kind. You won't ever replace a Lynn Yeates. – Kevin Potter, Chief Sheriff's Deputy
BRIGHAM CITY — Hundreds came out Saturday to honor a "one-of-a-kind man" who dedicated his life and career to serving others.
Stories about Box Elder County Sheriff Joseph Lynn Yeates described a man who was irreverent, direct, funny, respected by all — including those who ran afoul of the law — and a man who loved his family and his chosen profession.
"I lost my anchor … but I know I'm a better person because he was my dad," daughter Amber Yeates Kuchinski said during Saturday's funeral.
Yeates, 68, was found dead in his home on Tuesday — one day after being sworn in for his third term as Box Elder County sheriff. He reportedly died from a heart attack.
He fulfilled his promise to his late wife, Lynda Nelson Yeates, to run for and be sworn into a third term, Kuchinski said. His wife died on Nov. 5, at age 72, from a cancerous brain tumor. He was not the same after her death, his daughter said.
"These last two months he hasn't had her strength to pull from," she said.
When Yeates was young, his biggest dream was to spend his life helping people, his daughter said.
Yeates fulfilled that dream, serving in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1974 during the Vietnam era and as an LDS missionary in Ireland. He spent almost 40 years with the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office as a crime lab deputy, patrol officer, detective, sergeant, chief deputy and as sheriff since 2007.
Yeates worked simultaneously as an intermediate emergency medical technician for 26 years, a death scene investigator with the state medical examiner for 15 years, as a medical legal investigator with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team for seven years and as a First-Aid, CPR and EMT instructor.
"I don't think you could find a (better) example of a dedicated public servant," said Box Elder County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Potter. "He didn't have hobbies. He didn't hunt and fish. He worked, and all of his jobs served the citizens of the county."
Law enforcement, search and rescue and fire officials filled the Box Elder LDS Stake Center chapel and rows of the overflow during Yeates' funeral.
Yeates had a "wicked sense of humor" and a high sense of confidence, said Ralph Yeates. When his brother was young, he would stand in front of a mirror and bask in his own admiration and say aloud: "Oh you dashing, debonair thing. How many hearts will you break today?"
Yeates "came alive when he was in the desert," his sister Allie Bergman said. Many shared stories of desert adventures with him, including one about a rabbit that escaped certain death because of Yeates' less-than-exact firearm aim.
American flags lined the streets outside the chapel and groups of community members gathered on either side of the street to pay tribute to the sheriff. Dozens of law enforcement officers from around the state joined the procession, passing dozens of additional fire trucks and emergency vehicles parked on the street, driving under a massive American flag suspended from two fire ladders.
"I think he'd be a little embarrassed, maybe, at this turnout," said Box Elder County Commissioner Stan Summers.
At the interment service, sobs grew steadily louder during the military honors: a three-volley gun salute, the sounding of Taps and the folding and presenting of the American flag and empty shell casings to Yeates' family.
At the end of the service, a dispatcher sounded Yeates' final call.
"All units, this is the final 10-42 for Charlie One, Sheriff Yeates," the woman's voice said.
"You gave unselfishly and dedicated your life in service to ensure those around you were cared for. Your everlasting commitment to serve and protect your fellow man will never be replaced. You may be gone, Lynn, but you will never be forgotten. Sheriff Joseph Lynn Yeates, we salute you."
As a final tribute to Yeates, cans of Mountain Dew — a drink Yeates was rarely seen without — were handed out to those who had gathered. The sound of aluminum lids snapping open echoed near the gravesite as those who knew him drank to a man who they say is irreplaceable.
"He was one of a kind," Potter said. "You won't ever replace a Lynn Yeates."
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