Arlen Yeakley

Karr

-
image description
IN LOVING MEMORY

Arlen Yeakley Karr

Nov 24 1944 - Feb 16 2026

Arlen Yeakley Karr, 81, of Plano, passed away peacefully on February 16, 2026. He was born on November 24, 1944, in Spur to Joseph Karr and Inez (Yeakley) Karr.

Arlen proudly served his country in the United States Army after High School, which must have been relatively easy compared to the back-breaking work of breaking up the red, west Texas soil to scratch out a crop of cotton on land that would, decades later, turn out to have oil under it. He placed great value on education and pursued his studies with dedication, ultimately earning several degrees in Mathematics before realizing it was all just math. Luckily, he stumbled into the field of Computer Programming, which coincided with the Tech Boom of the 80’s in the Richardson Tech Corridor. His career of forty years in this field does not appear to have contributed to his demise, however, it did result in an unhealthily sized collection of Agatha Christie mystery novels and books on UNIX, C# and physics.

Arlen married the love of his life, Candy Martinez, on December 6, 1967 in Abilene, Texas. Together they built a life grounded in devotion, laughter, and love of family.

He lived with only one thought in mind, “Be useful”. He was always making, building or fixing. His last act on the Earth was to take out the dog, and only after he had completed that task did he feel that he could return to his chair and finally rest.

Arlen is survived by his wife, Candy Karr of Plano, Texas; son, Arden Karr and Evelyn of Little Elm, Texas; daughter, Michelle Fisher of Ennis, Texas; grandchildren, Preston Karr and wife, Katie, Miranda Patterson, Alex Karr, and Joseph Karr; great-granddaughter, Claerwen Patterson; brother, Tim Karr; sister, Charlotte Williams; and a host of other loving family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents as well as several siblings.

The family will receive friends during a visitation on Friday evening, February 20, 2026 from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013. Details to follow shortly.

Arlen will be interred at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75211.

Memorials

absolute-header