With faith and hope in the Resurrection—and in the light of the Coming of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ in His Nativity according to the flesh, which we are preparing to celebrate—we mourn the unexpected repose of Subdeacon Matthew Glenn Yarnell, who most recently held his parish membership at Ss. Mary and Michael Orthodox Parish in Irvona and Madera.
Subdeacon Matthew was found on Tuesday, December 9, the day on which the Church honors the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Saint Anna, near State Game Lands 158. For those unfamiliar with the location, it is an area known to hunters and outdoorsmen alike, lying within the borderlands of four counties near and dear to him and to many of us: Centre, Cambria, Blair, and Clearfield. While spending time in the Pennsylvania woods, which he deeply loved, Matthew suffered a tragic and accidental injury. Despite his efforts to seek help, he succumbed to his injuries and the cold. He was 48 years old.
Visitation will be held on Monday, December 15, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Derman Funeral Home, 1200 Lincoln Avenue, Tyrone, Pennsylvania, with a Panikhida chanted at the conclusion of the second visitation. The Funeral Service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 16, at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Altoona, one of Matthew’s many places of worship over the years. Interment will immediately follow at Nativity of the Theotokos Orthodox Cemetery in Madera.
Father Alexander is coordinating the clergy who have expressed their desire to offer prayers and show their respects for the servant of God who touched the lives of countless Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christians alike, and he offers sincere thanks to Fr. Isaac Danevicius, Rector of St. George’s in Altoona, for opening his parish to ours in order to accommodate Matthew’s Altoona-based family. Choral responses will be led by Raymond Mandell, Choir Director at Ss. Mary and Michael Orthodox Parish. Those wishing to assist with the chanting at either the Panikhida or the Funeral Service are invited to email choir@orthodoxclearfield.org.
Matthew was a 1996 graduate of Bishop Guilfoyle Academy in Altoona and a 2004 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. During his studies at Christ the Savior Seminary in Johnstown, he was tonsured a Reader and ordained a Subdeacon on the Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos into the Temple in 2008, in the presence of his daughter and his godfather, Fr. Paul Bigelow, a longtime priest of our region.
Outside of his deep love for time spent with God in Church and in nature, Matthew was a devoted train enthusiast and volunteered extensively with the East Broad Top Railroad in Rockhill Furnace, one of the oldest and best-preserved narrow-gauge railroads in the country. He especially loved his cat, Leo, his family, his parish family, and his extended church family, sometimes so deeply that it caused him pain. Matthew had a remarkable ability to look into the heart of his brother or sister in Christ and perceive the image of God and their potential, often before they could see it in themselves. Encounters with Matthew were always thoughtful, challenging, and memorable, embodying the Scriptural image of “iron sharpening iron.”
Please pray especially for those entrusted with keeping Matthew’s memory eternal: his beloved daughter Carrie Nicole, whom he lovingly brought into the Orthodox Faith when he was also received at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in State College in 2006; his son Rocco Matthew, whose faithful service in our holy temples in Irvona and Madera was a constant source of joy to his father; and his grandson Oliver. Please also remember in your prayers his parents, Gary Yarnell and Barbara (Bob) Mertiff; his brothers, Ryan (Angela) and Travis (Summer); and his many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Ss. Mary and Michael Orthodox Parish through the giving portal at orthodoxclearfield.org, or to Friends of the East Broad Top.
In addition to the services listed above, our parish will continue to remember the subdeacon Matthew throughout the Forty Days, including at the monthly Panikhida following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, January 4, 2026, and on the Fortieth Day, with a full Panikhida served before Great Vespers on Saturday, January 17, 2026.
As we commend our brother Matthew to the mercy of God, we do so with confidence in the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, whose feasts so often marked the significant moments of his life and ministry. May she who stood faithfully at the Cross of her Son intercede now for her servant, guiding him to the joy of the Resurrection and the unending light of Christ’s Kingdom.
Thank you for your prayers and for helping our dear brother and parishioner on his journey to everlasting life.
May Subdeacon Matthew’s memory be eternal.