Anthony Richard Yebba

Anthony "Tony" Yebba, of Orange City, FL, passed away on Tuesday, September 14, in his home surrounded by his family. Tony was born February 28, 1939, in Boston, MA to Doris and Anthony Yebba (deceased).
Walk in Tony's home office and you walk into a time capsule of sorts. The walls are plastered with pictures, awards, recognitions and memorabilia of his 31 years of service in the Navy. In the closet you will find, neatly pressed, all his uniforms, including his sailor suit from 1956. Bookshelves line all four walls and are filled with pictures, books and mementos of places traveled and life lived. His collection of books ranged from computer programming to military and war to history (German history in particular), to travels, to music, how-to books (like The Idiot's Guide to Playing the Harmonica) to crime stories and westerns. Framed photos span decades: photos of his wife, kids, grandkids, parents, brothers and many momentous occasions. In one corner, you will see the legacy he left as a public servant as Orange City Mayor and council member and tucked away, a memory box of news clippings, pictures, letters from students and more, all a reminder of the progress he fought for, his wins and losses and his many contributions to his community. Tony valued education and was a life-long learner. Above his desk you can follow the timeline of his educational career that ended with an Ed.D. A very sentimental man, he saved handwritten notes, cards and post-its from his grandkids and nieces and nephews that you can find taped all over his credenza desk and walls. Look further and you will see his many other passions including his love for music and the trombone, the Boston Red Sox, fishing and baseball caps. Yes, Tony loved his baseball and "dad" caps!
Tony grew up in Boston until his parents moved the family to Zephyrhills, FL when he was in his early teens. The oldest of three boys, Tony was a protector and mentor to his younger brothers, Carmen and Paul. He was literally their protector as 3 new Italian boys to the neighborhood were targets of an occasional butt whooping. He carried on the teachings and traditions of their father and set the example for them to follow. To his brothers, Tony is their hero.
A bit of a rebel, Tony dropped out of high school at age 17 and joined the Navy to see the world. His tour of duty was on the USS Fremont. His service to the country continued long after active duty, re-enlisting in the Reserves and faithfully serving his country for a total of 31 years. He retired in 1997 as Chief Petty Officer. Tony was forever a patriot; pull up in his yard you will see a very tall flagpole proudly waiving both the American and Navy flags.
After his first enlistment, Tony returned to school and got his GED and further continued his education while raising kids, getting his graduate degree from Rollins College and finally earning his Doctor of Education degree from Nova University at the age of 50. Tony didn't always hold glamourous jobs - during his humble beginnings he and his brothers worked on a chicken farm and then he worked at a cannery. He later worked for Kodak and Martin-Marietta while learning programming and eventually got what he described as his dream job as the Director of Data Processing and a VP at DBCC. After receiving his PhD, he became an educator, "Professor Yebba," teaching computer science to graduate students.
After marrying his wife in 1979, Tony moved to Orange City and immediately fell in love with the small town. He eventually felt the pull to serve his community and over the course of 15 years he did just that. He served as Orange City Mayor for 8 of those years and was on the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council the remaining years. While Tony was ready to retire from politics, he was not ready to give up community involvement. He had great respect for emergency responders and for nearly the last 10 years he volunteered with Citizens Observer Program (C.O.P.) Additionally, Tony shared his love of music with the community as a member of both the VCBC and Orange City orchestras, playing the trombone.
Tony was a loving and devoted husband who paid attention to the small details. During their working years, even when he didn't have to be up as early as his wife, Siegrid, he got up before her every day to make her coffee and he always made sure her gas tank was full! They enjoyed a wonderful life traveling, and especially enjoyed the beach, the Smokey Mountains and Germany. His children and grandchildren meant everything to him and was very proud of all of them. He attended their activities when they were young and was always supportive of their ambitions as adults. He was that guy that when you needed him, he was always there without hesitation, except for maybe an eye roll. He was an "in-the-moment" grandpa who would get down on the floor or in the dirt and willingly subject himself to whatever his grandkids wanted to do like put barrettes in his hair, play post office, bandage his pretend boo boos and of course, give horseback rides!
In retirement, if you came to the house, you'd most likely find Tony sitting on the porch (which he built himself) overlooking his backyard, reading a book and maybe have a beer with you. If he wasn't home, you might find him spectating at his grandchildren's activities and performances, RV-ing with his wife and brothers and their wives, enjoying a jeep ride with his son down the Old Dixie Highway or out on his boat or hanging out with family at cookouts and celebrations, sharing stories and getting caught up with the kids. Tony will be remembered for many things, among them his kindness, his serving heart, his honor - he has been described as a man of his word - his humor and funny faces and above all, his humility.
Tony is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Siegrid; Son, Scott (Doris) Yebba; Daughters, Corry Della Valle and Janell (Rob) Scott; Grandchildren, Kyle, Megan, Josh, Ashley, Alexia, Madison, Morgan, and Kaylee; Brothers, Carmen and Paul and spouses, adoring cats, Tessie and Mookie and many more.
The family invites you to celebrate Tony's life on Friday, September 24 at 11:00 A.M. at Volusia County Baptist Church, Orange City, with a viewing at 10:00 A.M. Also, there will be visitation on Thursday, September 23 from 6-8 PM at Allen Summerhill Funeral Home, Orange City.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Tony's charities, Tunnel to Towers Foundation https://t2t.org/ and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital https://www.stjude.org/.