Mrs. Mary Chambers Yates

Age 83

Northport Funeral & Cremation Service family extends our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of Mrs. Mary Yates, who passed away on August 6, 2026, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Mary Chambers Yates, 83, of Northport, AL, passed away on Thursday, August 6, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of unconditional love, deep faith, and enduring positivity. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, Mary had a rare gift for making everyone around her feel cherished, comforted, and truly at home. 

She was born in Kingston, NY, in May 1943 to Edwin Chambers, a steel ironworker, and Theodora (Doris) “Nanny” (Bernosky) Chambers. Mary carried her maternal grandmother’s name and grew up immersed in both Russian Orthodox and Protestant heritage. Her joyful, energetic nature was front and center in her youth when she learned to play the accordion, a hobby made all the more endearing because the instrument was nearly as big as she was at that age! Later, at age 18, she was crowned the Page One Queen by the Kingston Newspaper Guild in their 1961 beauty pageant. 

She met the love of her life, Ken Yates, at age 16 in Kingston High School. After a short time working at IBM as a secretary, they started a family. Together, they cultivated a home rooted in love, faith, and strong family values. As a dedicated homemaker, Mary threw her heart into raising their three sons, rarely missing an event, from Boy Scout meetings to band practices, while filling their home with enduring love and the comforting warmth of her home-cooked meals. Her passion for music also endured over the years as she sang in church choirs at St. James UMC in Kingston, NY, and later at churches in Atlanta, GA. 

Over the years, Mary’s work extended into her community. She served as an administrative assistant for several churches and later took on the monumental task of serving as the chief editor for a local newspaper on Topsail Island, NC after Ken and Mary purchased the business, a role she handled with remarkable dedication and a tremendous heart. 

Mary possessed a boundless capacity for love, meeting life’s deepest sorrows with steadfast grace and resilience. She served as a devoted caregiver to her mother, "Nanny" Doris, in her final days, and stood faithfully by her soulmate, Ken, during his courageous four-year battle with cancer until his passing on January 14, 2003, in Tuscaloosa, AL. Though her heart was tested again by the heartbreaking loss of her eldest son, Ken D. Yates Jr., in August 2016 in Mayflower, AR, Mary’s spirit remained unbroken. Even through profound grief and her own personal struggles, her radiant positivity never faltered. She remained, without fail, the warmest and brightest light in any room she entered. 

To visit Mary was to experience genuine hospitality. She delighted in the sweet, simple details that made people feel special: freshly made beds with clean sheets, your favorite meal prepared with love, and thoughtful touches placed all throughout her house. Above all else, Mary loved her children and grandchildren with a fierce, boundless passion. 

Her warmth and joyful spirit live on through her surviving family. She is survived by her older sister, Jeannine (Bob) Campbell of Lakeland, FL; her son, David Jeffrey (Jennifer) of Rochester, NY, along with their four children, Nolan, Preston, Ivy, and Keaton; and her son, Eric Andrew (Jeana), of Tuscaloosa, AL, and their three children, Victoria, Gabriel, and Penny. Mary’s legacy of love, comfort, and constant optimism will remain in the hearts of her family and all who were blessed to know her.

The compassionate, sympathetic, and professional services of the Northport Funeral & Cremation Service team have been entrusted to care for Mrs. Yates' arrangements.