Yvonne went home to be with her lord and savior at 3:02 a.m. Sunday morning April 19, 2026. Yvonne is a mother of five, Ava, Porter, Leona-Mckeon, Olivia, Waylon-Strong; a wife to Sean Strong. Being patient and waiting were two of her less than favorite things to do but in this case she will happily, patiently wait to see her husband, and kids, until it is our time to join her in heaven. Along with her dad, Greg; mom, Peggy, sister, Monica (Ethan) Dyre; two brothers, Nathan (Tracie) Smith, Tyler (Beth) Smith; her nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles and over 150 cousins (her second favorite thing to shock people with, after she has stunned them by saying she has five kids).

Yvonne has been running a race with colon cancer since October of '21, when she jogs that race up to St. Peter for her cool down, she knows that she has won.

Yvonne was a bright Light upon everyone that she met taking time to tell everyone how beautiful and wonderful they are, and witness to them about God and Jesus, from praying with random people that she met in the bathroom to telling close family members "Jesus Loves You" even if (sometimes especially because) they would grumble about it.

Yvonne's passion before kids, was distance running and she still holds a record at Owego Free Academy for cross country. Yvonne attended SUNY Brockport with a scholarship for cross country, that she eventually used to become a personal trainer and an assistant coach for track and field, and cross country at Owego Free Academy. Yvonne met Finian and started a family which then became her main passion. She often shared her first passion with her kids training for 5k runs and half marathons while pushing a stroller. She held a hand full of jobs centered around taking care of her kids, which gave her the opportunity to touch thousands of lives. In 2021 she met Sean and her family grew by a hundred more. As she and I combined our kids into a family, my extended family learned how beautiful the light was that she cast on everyone. They immediately adopted her as family.

The hole that she will leave in this world cannot be overstated. But as she and I had discussed this possible outcome over the last few years she would often say that she didn't want anyone to cry over her, just to smile at her memory and laugh about her quirks. Put on your brightest, most sparkling outfit, along with your tallest boots, add a little strip of color in your hair, in honor of Yvonne.

A celebration of Yvonne's life will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 12:00 Noon at The Pond, 49 Depew Road, Barton, NY with Pastor Geistdorfer, officiating. The family will receive friends following the services from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at The Pond.