Stories bind us together, encourage and inspire. Yvonne never dreamed of being a writer nor expected to write a book, but she had always been an avid reader and a storyteller. After a thirty-year career of teaching, coaching, and prevention work, she suffered the loss of her first husband, Ben, her parents, and several others in a season of grief. The dream of writing was birthed after reading The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson in 2005. She recognized God was nudging her to put her own experiences down on paper. Yvonne joined Oregon Christian Writers (now Cascade Christian Writers) and began to take writing classes, wanting to share the hope and encouragements God had sent in her time of darkness.
After a new marriage, Yvonne and her husband Keith retired and moved to Central Oregon in 2010. Amid the junipers and sage brush, she began to write true stories of God’s amazing ways and poems of faith God laid on her heart. God has honored her efforts. An award-winning author, she has been published in God’s Word for Today, LIVE, Bible Advocate and several other Christian magazines, Chicken Soup for the Soul books, a Guideposts book, and James Stuart Bell’s book, Encountering Jesus. See More.
As a young child, Yvonne remembers her mother Ruth telling stories about her younger brother W.T.’s courage as a bomber pilot in WWII. In her later years, Yvonne realized patriotism and courage ran throughout her family. Ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. During WWII, her father Marcus and two brothers served in the military and all her mother’s brothers would serve their country. Yvonne’s twin brother Dan would also enlist to serve in Vietnam and was a recipient of a Bronze Star.
As many unsung heroes do, these brave men resolved to put the war behind them, and most did not speak of their experiences for over fifty years. When Yvonne began to research in 2013, incredible stories emerged. The series, Silver Wings at War, is based on the WWII Army Air Corp experiences of two of her uncles.
If you are inspired by WWII heroes and inspirational stories, please sign up for her newsletter and she will email you her story, “Hope Rides on Eagles Wings,” published 2021 in a Guideposts book, God’s Comforting Ways.
If you have questions or comments, or would like to share your own stories about family members who served our country, please contact Yvonne.