GBS Mourning Inspirational Teacher Jeff Yordy

Students, alumni and staff at Glenbrook South are mourning the death of a beloved horticulture teacher who died Saturday.

Jeff Yordy, 55, died from complications he had following heart surgery to install an assistive pump, according to the school’s Facebook page. He was a married father of three boys who had taught horticulture and biology at the school for 30 years.

“Mr. Yordy defined a brilliant teacher. He was a finalist for the 2010 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, and was chosen as Glenbrook South High School’s Distinguished Teacher in 2010,” according to a lengthy post about his time at GBS on the Facebook page.

Many students called Yordy their favorite teacher and one who inspired them. (You can scroll through some of their posts on Twitter above.)

On Facebook, one former student said, echoing the comments of many: “The best teacher I ever had! He truly had an impact on my life!”

“To the man who inspired & helped many. You will be forever missed & loved Mr.Yordy,” one Tweet read.

The GBS Facebook page statement adds: “Assessing student learning through authentic, relevant and meaningful projects set Mr. Yordy apart from other great teachers. Under his direction, horticulture classes prepared wedding bouquets and centerpieces, holiday floral arrangements for school events, hosted an annual sale of plants grown from seeds, and created landscape design projects for the yards of many students and staff. From his classroom to the greenhouse, Mr. Yordy’s unique way of connecting theory to students’ lives was exemplary.
Mr. Yordy harvested the best from his students. He motivated them to achieve what they perceived as impossible with a culture and climate for learning that extended beyond the classroom.”

The family’s visitation and funeral information, as well as information on a school memorial, is below:

Visitation on Friday, April 4, 2014
Libertyville Civic Center
135 West Church
Libertyville, IL
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 5, 2014
Crosslife Evangelical Free Church
431 West Austin Avenue
Libertyville, IL 60048
Visitation: 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Service: 11:30 a.m.
Luncheon to Follow

Glenbrook South will also honor Mr. Yordy’s legacy with a memorial service in the Watson Auditorium at GBS at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, 2014. All are welcome.

Did you know Mr. Yordy? Please share some of your memories of his in the comments section.