Garfield O’Keith “Keke” Yarbrough
July 8, 1980– February 28, 2024
Garfield O’Keith Yarbrough of Auburn, Alabama passed away on February 28, 2024 in Auburn at the age of 43.
Garfield O’Keith Yarbrough, lovingly known as “Keke,” was born in Opelika, Alabama on July 8, 1980, to the late, Ruthie Mae Yarbrough. He is also preceded in death by his grandmother, Janie Mae Evans.
He is survived by his siblings, Donna Dowdell, Vincent (Beshon) Dowdell, and John Yarbrough; nieces and nephews, Dastassia (Christopher) Bailey, Danetrius (Lamine) Swopes, Dontavius Tidwell, Andrea Dowdell, Xavier Dowdell, Jordan Edwards and Jahnari Edwards; great-niece and nephews, Jayden Bailey, Skylar Bailey, Christopher Bailey Jr., Amari Swopes-Hakima, and Caleb Brown; many other loving friends and family members; and his beloved dog, Lacey.
Garfield was a 1998 graduate of Loachapoka High School. While in attendance, he participated in several extracurricular activities including, Kaizen Club, Computer Club, Spanish Club, Chess Club, and he also served as Treasurer of his senior class.
Garfield was a free spirit who never met a stranger. He was extremely intelligent and loved to have fun. He successfully became one of the best players of several Atari video games before the tender age of three years old. He also mastered numerous games that involved his intellect. He was a deep thinker and was extremely analytical. While growing up, he enjoyed spending the summer months with his grandmother in Auburn. Together, they enjoyed watching the Atlanta Braves, cooking, and fishing. Garfield developed his love for fishing at a young age and it continued to be one of his passions throughout his adult years. He was a loyal fan of Auburn University Football and the San Fransico 49ers. He and his brothers would have tons of “back-and- forth’, friendly banter regarding their favorite football teams. They also shared a passion for cooking and The Food Network. He and his sister shared a passion for Reality TV, The Walking Dead Universe, and Marvel movies.
Garfield enjoyed being an uncle to his nieces, nephews, great-niece, and great-nephews. To them, he was the cool uncle that they could always count on for a listening ear, emotional support, to be their confidant, and guaranteed fun times. The great-niece and nephews could always count on Uncle Keke blessing them with a $20 bill whenever he saw them. Garfield had a heart of gold. Although Garfield never had any human children, his baby was his dog, Lacey. Lacey was born at a time when the original owners were unable to care for her. Garfield took Lacey into his home and heart when she was only four weeks old. It was a perfect match made in heaven. He would proudly refer to Lacey as his “little girl,” and he loved her more than life. She was his heartbeat and his motivation to keep living. Garfield loved his family wholeheartedly. There simply are no words to describe how immensely he was loved and will be missed by his family.
The memorial will be a private ceremony with only close family members and friends present. The family deeply appreciates all expressions of sympathy in their time of great sorrow. They would like to extend thanks to family and friends for keeping them in your thoughts and prayers.