Ellen Eduarda Yates
– Ellen Eduarda Yates (Warda) was born in Tempe October 19, 1935, and she died at home in Tempe on Friday, September 1, 2023, at the age of 87. She was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas J. and Helen O’Connor Harter and her sister, Susan A. Hater.
Warda is survived by her husband, Ronald D. Yates, her sons Philip E. Yates (wife Justine and son Thomas) of Tempe, Mark J. Yates of Phoenix, and daughter Jean E. Hughes of Gilbert (sons Connor M. Hughes, wife Hailey and great grandson Levi of Buckeye and Garret R. Hughes of Tempe.)
From Kindergarten through eighth grade, Warda attended The Training School which was a part of Arizona State Teacher’s College at Tempe, and then she became a member of the last class to graduate from the old Tempe High School (1953). She went through college in three years for a bachelor’s degree in art education (1956) and then for a master’s degree (1965) from what had become, finally, Arizona State University.
Warda taught at Rio Vista Elementary School (now Cesar Chavez) in the Roosevelt School District of Phoenix. Her son Mark, born with developmental disabilities, sparked decades of advocacy work for the handicapped. She assisted in the development of nursery schools for the disabled until those services were assumed by the public schools.
Warda was proud to be a 4th generation Tempean. Her mother’s grandparents (James Wiley and Mary Ann Woolf) came to Tempe in 1888 (via Kentucky, Colorado, and New Mexico). The Harter family resided for two decades in the historic Niels Petersen house, and Warda was the last surviving person to live in that house.
Warda served on the Board of Directors for the Tempe History Society, the Tempe History Museum, and the Tempe Double Butte Cemetery. She was a member of the Department of Economic Security’s Independent Oversight Committee concerned with their developmental disabilities services. She was active in the formation of neighborhood associations, and she supported many good causes like neighborhood pools and affordable housing in Tempe.
Warda actively reminded people to attend community events and to get out and vote. She sang in the First United Methodist Church choir for over 50 years, and she was part of many A.S.U. choral groups.
The Yates family wishes to thank the many people who phoned their concerns, visited Eduarda, cooked meals, wrote cards, or sent flowers.
A Celebration of Life for Eduarda will be held at First United Methodist Church, 215 E. University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85281, on October 21, 2023, at 1:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Keep Tempe Beautiful (https://gofund.me/dea8a90e) or Tempe History Society. (https://tempehistory.org/shop-donate) 809 E. Southern Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85282.