Yvonne Booth

Yvonne M. Booth (Drake) of Vicksburg, MI died Wednesday, June 19th at Rose Arbor Hospice with family by her side. Yvonne was born September 1, 1947 in New Castle, IN to Eleanor Smith and George Drake. She was the oldest of three children and spent many happy times during her childhood with her siblings and cousins at her Grandpa and Grandma Porter's farm in Galesburg. Yvonne graduated from Vicksburg High School in 1965 and shortly thereafter married Ron Prosser. It wasn't long before their first daughter Wendy was born, followed eleven months later by their second daughter Janet. Not all marriages are meant to be forever but there were some good memories during the time Ron and Yvonne were married and they continued to share time with their children and grandchildren over the years. Yvonne always had a love of music and she shared that with the girls. Show tunes, Motown, Elvis and anything on pop radio. For a short time she had a 1965 Mustang with an 8-track player under the dash and you could usually hear the soundtrack from American Graffiti playing as she drove by! In the end the Mustang was a little too fast for her lead foot so she got rid of the car but always made sure there was a working radio in all of the future cars. She had a wonderful singing voice and could sing Bali Hai from South Pacific and follow it up with Pyromania by Def Leppard. Times were often tough for her as a single mother, but she did what she could to make ends meet and keep things together. Yvonne and the girls moved many times over the years, but it was very important to her that she always keep the girls in Vicksburg school district and she made that happen. Once Wendy and Janet graduated high school it was time for Yvonne to start a new chapter. She remarried to Wayne Booth and went back to college where she earned a Medical Assistant degree. The highlight of Yvonne's life were her grandchildren. School pictures covered her refrigerator. She attended dance recitals, baseball games, tennis matches, musicals, piano recitals and graduations. And it wasn't uncommon for her to show up at school with a pan of homemade fudge for one of the grandkids to share with friends, many of which also called her Grandma. They brought her great joy and she loved them all. Yvonne worked hard to raise her daughters and because of her successes and failures, she raised the independent, successful women that she was proud of. Between family and friends Yvonne touched so many lives and will be dearly missed. Yvonne was preceded in death by her mother Eleanor Smith and her two dearest friends, Sandy Dorbin and Wendy Britton. She is survived by her daughters Wendy (Steve) Pheils and Janet (Jim) Mendocha. Siblings Keith (Chantel) Drake and Gail Munn. Nieces and nephew Kim Hoffmaster, Tammy Munn, Ciara Hoffmaster, Haley and Drew Nye, and Ellie Hoffmaster-Six. Former husband Wayne Booth and step children Brian (Stacy) Booth, Brenda Stevens, and Cary (Cheryl) Booth. Finally her beloved grandchildren Brianna VanCamp, Paul Pheils, Matthew and Michael Mendocha, Jeremy and Justin Followell, Lindsey Cowan, Lance and Amber Brunt, Rachel, Jacob, Artem, Sergei and Ana Booth. A celebration of Yvonne's life will be held at the Vicksburg Community Center on Sunday, June 23 from 11am - 1pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan would be greatly appreciated. The family is being served by the McCowen & Secord Funeral Home, Rupert-Durham Chapel, 409 S. Main, Vicksburg, MI 49097 (269-649-1697).