Grant E. Yates

            Grant Eugene Yates passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 8, just 15 days shy of his 90^th birthday. With a twinkle in his eye and a sly smile, Grant could charm anyone. And he usually did. Grant had a wide network of friends in his hometown of Omaha, and he was beloved by his nieces and nephews.

            Grant was born in Omaha on April 23, 1934, the oldest of five children of Grant Yates Jr and Margaret Mary Monahan. He attended Creighton Prep and Creighton University, where he led the baseball teams as the left-handed pitcher alongside his teammate Bob Gibson. Like Gibson, “Leftie” Yates was recruited to play in the Major Leagues, but his mother told him that baseball was for boys, so he went on to become a banker, a career that spanned more than four decades, including working for Omaha National Bank, where his father had been head teller.

            While Grant spent most of his life in Omaha, a stint in Seattle brought him to the attention of Dorie Drescher, who he married at St. John’s Church on the Creighton campus on November 26, 1975. They had no children together, but Grant helped raise Dorie’s daughter Kelly. Grant’s “children” were his 20 nieces and nephews, who he doted on as if they were his own. Grant was a draper dresser and a lover of red sports cars, a man about town, flashing his charming smile to friends and strangers alike.

            A loyal Rotarian and a devout Catholic, Grant was an integral part of the Omaha community. He is survived by his sister Ginger Frenzer and his brother Larue Yates, his step-daughter Kelly Elrod, and all 20 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Jean Full, his brother David Yates, and his beloved wife Dorie. Grant will be laid to rest alongside Dorie on April 23, his 90^th birthday.

VISITATION: Monday, April 22, 2024 beginning at 5:00PM, followed by a ROSARY at 6:00PM at John A. Gentleman Mortuaries 72nd Street Chapel.

FUNERAL MASS: Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 10:00AM at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, 1920 N. 102^nd Street, Omaha.