Obituary of James W. Yarka

CAMERON MILLS: James W. "Big Jim" Yarka, 72, of Cty. Rte. 119 passed away Wednesday (Feb. 8, 2017) at the Taylor Health Center in Bath following a brief illness. Jim was born June 25, 1944 in the town of Cameron to the late Walter and Marion (O'Konski) Yarka. On July 3, 1965 in the Adrian Baptist Church, he married the former Donna Kay Howland who predeceased him in February of 2015. Jim was a life long resident of the Cameron area and was a welder for the Conrail Railroad Maintenance of Way for many years. He was an honorary member of the Cameron Vol. Fire Dept. where he put in countless hours volunteering his time for Dept. functions and fund raisers. When he could he loved to hunt and looked forward to his annual bear hunt in Canada with his friends. He also enjoyed other activities outdoors, particularly mowing his lawn and keeping it in "tip-top" condition and making it look immaculate. Like many others he loved to watch football and was an avid Buffalo Bills fan. Survivors include a daughter and son in-law: Kathy and Robert "Bob" Bradley of Cameron, a brother Stanley "Stosh" Yarka of Bath, step grandson: Justin (Kori) Bradley of Buffalo and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends from 1-3 and 6-8 pm Sunday at the H.P. Smith & Son, Inc. Funeral Home, 29 East Main St. in Canisteo where a funeral service will take place Monday at 11:00 am. Burial will be in Townline Cemetery, Cameron Mills. Memorial contributions in Jim's name may be made to the Cameron Vol. Fire Dept. and Ambulance Corp., Cameron, N.Y. 14819.