Big Stone Gap, Virginia September 27, 2026

Gwendolyn Martin Yeary, age 84, received her perfect and complete healing on September 22, 2026. Her daughter was by her side as she crossed into eternity. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend, our family takes comfort in the knowledge that now she lives in Heaven with our Lord and Savior, Jesus, and that she has been reunited with her husband and many family and friends who passed before her.

Gwen came into this world on April 23, 1942, at the Tuomey Hospital in Sumter, South Carolina. She was her parents’ first born, and they raised her and her younger brother, Sam, in the nearby town of Summerton, surrounded by their extended families. The two siblings faced many challenges, as both their parents died when they were quite young.

Gwen was a graduate of McCormick High School, where she was known for her singing in her school choir, and love of swimming, basketball and South Carolina’s state dance, “the shag.” After graduation, she spent a little less than a year in the Women’s Army Corps at Fort McClellan, Alabama. After Basic, she trained in Signals Intelligence before leaving service, receiving a fully honorable discharge. In 1964, she returned to South Carolina and attended Harrison’s Beauty School and became a licensed cosmetologist and beautician. While at school, she met her husband during his training at nearby Shaw Air Force Base.

Three months after meeting, they were wed. They spent over a decade “out West,” primarily in Colorado and Texas, where their daughter was born. The then young couple were known for their love of ballroom dancing and playing competitive tournament bridge as a team. She enjoyed making and painting ceramics as well. When her husband retired from the military, they moved to Virginia to be closer to his extended family. She had already spent over a year with her in-laws in 1965 and ‘66, during his tour of duty in Vietnam. The couple lived several years in Wise and Coeburn, Virginia, where they enjoyed many fishing trips, before her husband’s untimely death in 1987.

As years passed, Gwen spent her time devoted to her daughter, son-in-law, and four grandchildren. Her help and support were vital, as her daughter struggled to survive the treatments and aftereffects of more than one severe autoimmune disease. Her grandchildren knew “Nana,” as a loving and kind, steady influence, who was her family’s literal rock. As her grandchildren grew up, and her daughter’s health improved, Gwen eventually moved to Regency Towers in Norton. Living in the “High Rise,” she made many new friends and at times, served on their tenant council. While there, she enjoyed bible studies, and playing bingo with her friends, but she remained devoted to her grandchildren.

As she grew older, she began to face several serious health issues, which she courageously fought to overcome. In 2022, she developed a severe case of Covid pneumonia, and never fully recovered. She also had many chronic health conditions that affected her mobility, diabetes, kidneys and heart that worsened over time, so she returned to live with her daughter in the home where she had helped raise her grandchildren.

In her final years, Gwen was still intensely interested in the activities of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She still loved to laugh and enjoyed classic comedies and westerns. She loved listening to the “crooners,” from the 1940s onward, while sipping milkshakes or eating ice cream. She enjoyed debating others about politicians, public figures and a wide variety of topics. We love her and are going to miss her until we are reunited again.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Claude Swanson Yeary Jr.; her parents, Samuel Oliver “Sammy” Martin Sr. and Gwendolyn Coskery Martin, of Summerton, SC; her brother, Samuel Oliver “Sam” Martin Jr., of Newberry, SC; her Father and Mother-in-law, Claude S. Yeary Sr. and Florence Short Yeary, of Coeburn, VA, and many additional relatives and friends.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Gwendolyn and Christopher Brooks, of Big Stone Gap, VA; her grandson, Joshua Daniel Brooks, of Appalachia, VA; her granddaughter, Chantel Ruth Brooks Collins and husband Damien Collins, of Gray, TN; her granddaughter, Cierra Grace Brooks Edwards and husband Steven Edwards, of Richmond, VA; her granddaughter Celine Faith Brooks, of Richmond, VA. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren: Miss Holly Hope Edwards and Young David Neil Edwards of the home; Miss Alice Elizabeth Collins and Young Daniel McNeil Collins of the home; as well as her husband’s last living sibling, David Yeary of Wise, VA; and several nieces, nephews, cousins, and many friends.

Gwen’s choice was to be cremated. Her remains will be buried at a later date. A memorial service will be held during the second internment, when her ashes will join her husband’s remains in their plot. The entire family wishes to thank the many specialists and other healthcare workers who did their best to help Gwen in her final years, and we appreciate everyone’s prayers and good wishes during this difficult time. Please visit www.sturgillfuneral.com to sign guest register book online. Sturgill Funeral Homes 310 6th Street NW Coeburn, Virginia 24230 in charge of arrangements.