James Eugene Yurkiewicz

James Eugene (Wojo) Yurkiewicz, 75, of Bar Nunn, Wyoming passed away on April 30, 2023 in Bar Nunn.

Jim was Born February 13,1948 to Anthony Stanley Yurkiewicz and Anna Delores Tomasevski in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.

He graduated from Twin Valley High School in Elverson, Pennsylvania in 1966.

Jim was drafted; yet, proudly enlisted in 1969 and served in the United States Army Infantry 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles. He served in Vietnam as well as in Germany. He earned many medals and honors for Combat in action, a Bronze star for Meritorious Action,    Commendation and Infantry.

In April 1975 He was Honorably Discharged and decided to continue serving by becoming a Police Officer. He served in Pennsylvania for 7 years before falling in love with Wyoming and finding his beloved wife. He became a police officer with the Casper police department in 1978 where he would continue to work until he retired in 2016. He received an insurmountable amount of commendations as well as life saving awards while serving with the department. He worked in many areas around the community; however, he really enjoyed the people and patrolling the area of North Casper. During his tenure with the Casper Police Department he learned that chemistry experiments or the use of the term B.F.D. was not an appropriate response to certain situations. Jim acquired several certifications to better himself, as well as enhance the service he could provide his community. Some of the areas he was proud to become a part of were the SWAT team as well as the bomb squad. He also has an awesome reputation of being one of the best Evidence technicians in the state of Wyoming.

If you were to ask Jim what he liked to do, he would smile and with a twinkle in his eye he would profoundly question, “Is it time to go fishing?” If you were lucky enough he would take you with him to his favorite places. He was also an avid hunter and knew exactly where to go and when. That was usually at 0300 and in the Shirley’s or Green Mountain. At the end of the day you’d be walking back 10 miles and up steep ravine’s. The other pastime Jim had was prospecting for Gold. South pass was his favorite  adventure place to pan. He always came back with something…gold, garnets or a smile.

He is survived by his wife, Jeannie of BarNunn, daughters Elizabeth McPherson, Amy Yurkiewicz and Anitra Burton. He is also survived by his brother Joseph Yurkiewicz (Lynn), brothers in law Samuel Jaure, John Larson (Gregg) and a son in law Roger.

Grandchildren include Mathew Booth (Liz), Jacob Summers (Megan), Paul Yurkiewicz and Alex Yurkiewicz and Roger(Nicolas) McPherson. Jim had the pleasure of being a great-grandfather to Bennett Booth, Kahalo Tighe, Makoa Tighe, Samantha Sorby and Isaac Sorby and many various family members.

Jim was proceeded in death by his parents Anthony and Anna Yurkiewicz, his in-laws Narciso and Georgia Abeyta and a grandchild, David (Kaleb) Yurkiewicz.

Funeral Service will be held at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church on Monday May 8, 2023 at 1:30 pm with Fr. Ray Rodriguez Officiating.

A viewing will be at Bustards funeral home on Sunday May 7, 2023 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm followed by a rosary at 3:00 pm.

Memorial donations may be made to the local Fraternal Order of Police # 6 PO Box 4656 Casper, WY 82604. The family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the FOP # 6.