State, local leaders gather for ceremony honoring Cook Co. Clerk Karen Yarbrough

CHICAGO — State and local leaders gathered on the South Side to pay tribute to Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, who died last week.

The public celebration of life ceremony was held at Rockefeller Chapel on Sunday afternoon.

During the service, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth spoke, remembering Yarbrough as a steadfast public servant and trailblazer.

Yarbrough died on Sunday, April 7, at the age of 73, after she was hospitalized due to an undisclosed medical condition.

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Yarbrough, who was elected in 2018, was the first Balck woman to hold the position. She ran unopposed and was preceded by David Orr

Before her time as county clerk, Yarbrough served as a state representative and Cook County Recorder of Deeds.

Yarbrough is survived by her husband Henderson Yarbrough, her six children, and 12 grandchildren.

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