Mary Milus Yoh, 78, matriarch of family that owns Day & Zimmerman
She was a community activist and generous supporter of various causes
MARY MILUS YOH, matriarch of the family that owns Day & Zimmerman, the worldwide service company that is one of the Philadelphia area's major employers, died June 28 at the age of 78. She had been living in Key Largo, Fla., but had lived in Bryn Mawr most of her life.
As the wife of Harold L. "Spike" Yoh Jr., retired chairman and chief executive of Day & Zimmerman, Mary was always an active participant in the company's activities as it grew from a local engineering firm to a diversified entity with projects all over the world.
But she also was a busy community activist in her own right, taking important roles in her children's schools and volunteering in numerous charitable and educational organizations.
She and her husband were also avid travelers and visited more than 60 countries.
Mary grew up in Delaware and attended Duke University in Durham, N.C. She graduated in 1959. There, she met Spike, who graduated from Duke's Pratt School of Engineering in 1958. They married after she graduated.
The Yoh family has been strong supporters of Duke University for decades. Mary and Spike's five children are all Duke graduates. In 2001, the family donated $1.1 million to establish a professional chair in social sciences.
"My son Bill, daughter Karen, daughter-in-law Sharon and I all received a wonderful education from the faculty in [Duke's] Trinity College," Mary said at the time. "And creating this chair is a way for us to thank Duke. Spike, along with our sons, Hal, Mike and Jeff, all Duke engineering graduates, supported us in making our gift."
Duke president Nanneri O. Keohane, commented: "Spike and Mary have never stopped contributing to their alma mater. The most valuable of their many gifts to us are the considerable talents of their children, who continue the commitment of service to Duke for which their parents are well known."
Spike was chairman of Duke's board of trustees. The Yohs' Shetland sheepdog was named Duke, and one of the family's boats was named the Blue Devil, nickname of Duke's sports teams.
Spike had a framed saying in his office: "It's hard to be humble when you're from Duke."
The Yohs lived in California for a time after they left Duke, and moved to the Philadelphia area in 1963, where they raised their five children.
Mary was active with the children's schools, Haverford School and Agnes Irwin. She taught Sunday School at the Church of the Redeemer, and volunteered with St. Edmond's Home for Children and Bryn Mawr Hospital, among others.
She and her husband were also active in the Young Presidents' Organization, a worldwide group dedicated to education and promotion of business interests.
"Mary is remembered as a loving wife, mother and grandmother, a true matriarch of the Yoh family, a dear friend, a leader and a difference-maker for the many people and organizations with which she interacted," her family said.
Besides her husband, she is survived by four sons, Harold L. Yoh III, Michael H. Yoh, Jeffrey M. Yoh and William C. Yoh; a brother, Paul Milus; 15 grandchildren; and one great-grandson. She was predeceased by a daughter, Karen.
Services: 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Church of the Redeemer, 230 Pennswood Road, Bryn Mawr. There will be a Celebration of Life at Ocean Reef, Key Largo, Fla., in December.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Karen B. Yoh Foundation, c/o Ruth Watson, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, 30 Valley Stream Parkway, Malvern, Pa. 19355, or the Keys Children's Foundation, 21 Dockside Lane, PMB 139, Key Largo, Fla. 33037.