06/08/2026
In Loving Memory of Gareth Yearsley
4 December 1980 – 6 August 2023
Today marks three years since we lost our beloved Gareth.
Although time has passed, he remains deeply loved and greatly missed by all who knew him.
Gareth had a rare gift for seeing beauty in the natural world. Through his photography, he invited others to pause, to look a little closer, and to appreciate the quiet wonder of a sunrise, the movement of the sea, the light on the rocks, and the wildlife he loved so dearly.
Behind the camera was a gentle, compassionate and generous person.
Following Gareth's passing, we were deeply touched by the many messages from people who shared stories of his kindness, his willingness to help others, his empathy, and his love for animals.
Those memories continue to comfort us.
For seventeen years Gareth lived with the relentless pain and progressive effects of Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Despite everything he endured, he continued to create images that reflected the peace and beauty he found in nature.
Today, as we remember him, we think especially of Morgan Bay, one of Gareth's favourite places.
It was there, overlooking the sea that inspired so much of his photography, that we scattered his ashes.
It is also the inspiration behind the final lines of this poem, written by his father, David E. Yearsley, in Gareth's memory.
Obituary to a Castaway
by David E. Yearsley
He's dead at last
said the high sun
pouncing down on the broken ground.
I'll take his clothes said the wind
in fierce possessive gusts.
I'll leach his bones said the
stony fingered earth jubilant with waiting.
Silence, then soft murmuring
I'll take his soul said the sea
and love it always.
The slow waves washed him
gently into acceptance.
As we look through Gareth's photographs today, we are reminded that although his life was far too short, his vision, his kindness and the beauty he shared continue to live on.
Forever loved. Forever missed.
With love,
The Yearsley Family
