Yumiko “Yaya” Ohno Yeargain

Yumiko “Yaya” Ohno Yeargain of Lubbock, Tx passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on February 24th, 2020. Prior to her untimely passing, she was healthy and robust. She was 62 years old.  Yumiko was born in Tokyo, Japan. As an only child, she learned to entertain herself through reading, piano practice, and playing with her dog, Ako. These early joys were to follow her throughout her life. In high school, she played the drums and was the student choir director. She went to a prestigious University in Japan (St Paul, Rikkyo University) where she studied American History and Finance. As an equestrian, she competed in horse jumping and dressage. She worked for multiple international companies as both an accountant and an interpreter. She moved to Lubbock in 2001 where she eventually met her husband of 16 years, Bryan Yeargain. They met at a Texas Tech student theatre play and after the play was over, Bryan’s first words to Yumiko were that he was impressed that she didn’t move a muscle during the entire play (which meant that Bryan was playing close attention to her during their first encounter!)  A mutual friend told Bryan that Yumiko needed a ride to work and that she was offering to feed Bryan for driving her around and to fix her car. Subsequently, their first official date was at Denny’s Diner, where Yumiko was able to eat one of her favorite foods: pancakes. As everyone who knew her well would say, that little woman could eat! After years of work in accounting and banking, she was able to realize her lifelong dream of working with dogs full time. She eventually owned her own dog grooming business in their home where she specialized in grooming elderly, sick, and sensitive dogs. Yumiko was a kind, caring, and thoughtful person. From the bottom of her deep heart, she loved and cared for her family, her friends, and animals of all kinds. When she wasn’t grooming dogs she enjoyed riding horses, playing and listening to music with her husband, and talking with her beloved friends and family. She was trained as a concert pianist and could play several instruments. She loved musicals and once saw West Side Story three times in one sitting. Yumiko had many friends and had an almost magical ability to bring people together and make connections. This serendipitous fueled superpower coupled with her warm heart and unforgettable nature meant that she would reconnect with friends from her past in the strangest of places. From seeing a framed picture of a long lost childhood friend from Japan in a friend’s house in Lubbock to running into a boss from 30 years ago who was visiting from Switzerland in a crowded tourist site to the everyday occurrence of running into friends at the grocery store. Her trips to the store could last as long as two hours because of the many friends she meets among the aisles. Living in Lubbock for less than 20 years, she knew and touched the lives of more people than some touch in an entire lifetime. Yumiko was preceded in death by her father, Kumanosuke of Tokyo and her father-in-law G.W. Yeargain of Lubbock. She is survived by her mother, Tami Ohno of Tokyo, her husband, Bryan Yeargain of Lubbock, her daughter, Kelsy Yeargain of New Orleans, her mother-in-law, Nancy Yeargain of Lubbock, her Aunt Kimi and Uncle Saburo Ohno of Tokyo, as well as hundreds of dear friends from around the world. She touched many lives in her 62 years on earth, but her greatest passion was for dogs, especially those in need of extra care and love.