Horace Irvin Yearwood

Funeral services for Horace Irvin Yearwood, age 73 of Mt. Airy, will be held on Wednesday, September 9, 2009, at 11:00 AM from the Hillside Memorial Chapel. Rev. Walter Singletary and Rev. Terry Rice will officiate with burial to follow the service in the Glade Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.

Mr. Yearwood passed away Sunday, September 6, 2009, following a brief illness.

Born September 21, 1935 in Stephens County, Mr. Yearwood was the son of the late Kermith Irvin and Estelle Smith Yearwood. Mr. Yearwood was a United States Army Veteran and he was a member Antioch Baptist Church. Mr. Yearwood was the owner and operator of Hazel Creek Orchard and Yearwood Farms. Mr. Yearwood was selected as the Outstanding Farmer in Habersham County in 1972 by the Upper Chattahoochee River Soil and Water Conservation District. He and his brother were very innovative in their farming techniques which were the right mix of conservation and maximum land benefits. The methods such as double cropping and no till corn planting were most noted and first introduced in Habersham County by Horace and John Yearwood and they were recognized by for their efforts by the United States and Georgia Departments of Agriculture and many other agriculture publications and associations. After perfecting his cider recipes, Horace has sold cider and juices all over the United States. Hazel Creek Orchard has also been featured in the Atlanta Journal & Constitution and the New York Times. In addition to his parents, Mr. Yearwood is preceded in death by a brother, Morris Yearwood.

Survivors include brother John Yearwood of Mt. Airy, nieces Miranda Brumbaugh of Mt. Airy and Desiree Welborn of Hawaii, as well as several great nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home, 5495 Highway 197 S. Clarkesville, on Tuesday, September 8th, from 2 â