YARMOUTH — Lawrence Wilbur Yates, 85, of Yarmouth, died Sunday at home after a brief period of declining health.

Yates was born May 25, 1927, in Huntington Park, Calif., the son of Katherine and Everett W. Yates. The family relocated to North Yarmouth when he was 3 and he attended local schools and graduated from North Yarmouth Academy.

It was while he was at NYA that he met the love of his life, Evelyn L. Morton, and on July 26, 1950, they were married at her home in Yarmouth.

Yates’ life was defined by work, his dedication to it and his enjoyment of it. His first job was working at Anderson Lumber when he was 9 to help support his family and the construction field was his future. His career began as a driver, then a sawyer, to a handyman with his own toolbox, a carpenter and retiring as a supervisor for Donbury Construction in 1991.

He supervised many large scale projects for Donbury such as prefab condos, schools, restaurants and construction of the Baptist Church on Canco Road. Along the way he owned Casco Bay Boat for a time.

In his spare time Yates built the family home on Pleasant Street, rebuilt the homes for his son Mike and daughter Sharon and last year kept himself busy building an oak mantle, putting in doors and helping to renovate a kitchen. For more than 38 years he snowplowed driveways in Yarmouth and the surrounding area, with upwards of 68 driveways to take care of and keep clear. He also maintained a small engine repair business and his shop was the definition of being well organized.

Yates loved family gatherings, especially the ones held on May 25 when he and his son Mike celebrated their birthday. Any reason to get together made good sense for him.

Yates, known to some as “Uncle Pete,” is survived by his wife of 62 years, Evelyn Yates of Yarmouth; his son, Mike Yates, and his companion, Cindi Lahaye, of Freeport; his daughter, Sharon Snow, and her husband, Michael, of Portland; his five wonderful grandchildren, Amy, Melissa, Chad, Spencer and Samantha; his three adorable great-grandchildren, Serena, Caleb and Chloe; his sister-in-law, Carolyn Talbot, and her husband, Roger, of Connecticut; and nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Arlene Marquis.

Visiting will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. memorial service, with Rev. Jeanette Good, officiating at Lindquist Funeral Home in Yarmouth. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery later this spring.

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