Yvonne Dolores (Fitch) Broadwater

Yvonne Dolores Fitch Broadwater entered this world on March 9th, 1932, and left in spirit peacefully on November 15th, 2019; she spent her 87 years here on Earth abiding by the motto: “Always leave the place you’re in better than it was when you arrived.”

Yvonne spent her childhood in LaBelle, PA with her parents, Lloyd and Mary Kuklish Fitch, and her brother, Lloyd Fitch Jr. Yvonne was a graduate of Brownsville Area High School. Yvonne was an intelligent and caring soul, which led her to earn her RN degree from West Penn Nursing.  In 1953, she married the love of her life, Major General Theodore Broadwater. The pair enjoyed 58 years of marriage and were blessed with a daughter, Melanie Ann Broadwater Bagwell, and a son, Donald Lloyd Broadwater.

Yvonne was a woman of faith and she was an active member of the Hopewell Presbyterian Church, serving on the church’s session, volunteering to teach Sunday school and vacation bible school, and participating in the well-doers. Spreading the word of God and his love, Yvonne served as a missionary to Slovakia.  She was also a member of the Presbytery. 

Her husband’s successful military career and his journey from second lieutenant to major general (and 35 years in the USAF) moved Yvonne all over the world, from Japan and the far east, to Europe, to 12 different states. Since she was a devout volunteer and no matter where life took her, she found a way to leave the place she was in a better place. On almost every base she lived on, she volunteered in the Red Cross Volunteer Hospital, various youth groups, and the Girl Scouts. Yvonne was a master Girl Scout troop leader. She led her group in Texas on a camping experience and her Hawaii group on a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. 

Yvonne took great pride in being a general’s and an officer’s wife and she took that role very seriously. She served as a mentor to other officer’s wives, regularly hosting gathering for them  and offering her experience and guidance. 

When it was time to settle down in one place, Yvonne and her beloved Ted spent their time in their home in East Millsboro, PA and Harlingen, TX.  While these two places provided many memories, their true home was in Deep Creek Lake, MD, where they turned a shack into a beautiful home for their family for 40 years. 

Yvonne loved birding and fishing; she and Ted took numerous trips to South Carolina and Texas to bird and fish. She enjoyed camping and gardening. Every year, she and Ted planted a massive garden and involved their daughter and grandchildren in the care and maintenance. She was also an avid reader and painter and she excelled in needlepointing and sewing. 

Yvonne lived a fabulous life.  She saw much of the world and learned a great deal about many different cultures. She was loved dearly by her husband. She served God in an honorable fashion. She created a family. She left this world a better place than when she entered it.

While her life was filled with success and happiness, she also lived through great sadness. Both of her parents, Lloyd and Mary Fitch, preceded her in death, as well as her brother, Lloyd, her only son, Donald, and her husband, Ted. Through the care and devotion of her granddaughter and daughter, Yvonne was able to spend her later years in the comfort of her own home with her family.

Yvonne loved her family deeply and she instilled her love of nature, God, our great country, education, and volunteering into her daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  She leaves behind her daughter, Melanie, her grandson Boyd Bagwell, his wife, Ashley, and their sons, Brody, Talen, and Barrett, and her granddaughter, Yvonne-Jean (Evie) Bagwell Stagesin, her husband, Craig, and their daughters Jossalyn and Adalyn, to treasure her memory. 

Loved ones and friends can join Yvonne’s family in remembering her at the Kish-Fabry Funeral Home, Inc., Republic, PA, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, between the hours of 12 and 7 p.m.; a remembrance service will be conducted by Pastor Gary McFadden at 7 p.m. Memorial donations can be made to: George C. Marshall AMVETS Post 103, 123 Buttermilk Lane, Hopwood, PA 15445.