Austin grandmother tries to hold family together after twin tragedies | Season for Caring
Dwight and Bonnie Yett were a couple to be reckoned with for decades in East Austin.
They made their own way and were known as hard-working, community-oriented people of faith.
Above everything, they loved their family. The Yetts found each other later in life after earlier marriages dissolved, and they became the parents of three young adult grandchildren and one infant grandchild who live in their home.
The 1990s were a time before the east side of Interstate 35 became fertile development property for condos and high-end real estate projects. Back then, the Yetts were one of many families who believed in the power of community to impact neighborhoods and change lives for the better. Life wasn't always easy, but they met every challenge head on.
The Yetts were a faith-based couple and used their True Deliverance Ministries, their home business and Dwight’s passion for boxing to provide needed positive effects in the community. He was called "King Pit" or "Coach Pit." He coached his students with the same passion that he put into every sermon or encouraging word.
No strangers to hard work, they operated a janitorial service, ministered to needy people at a converted duplex off Decker Lane and raised grandkids who thought of them as parents.
“The cleaning service was a franchise, and he called it Mr. Clean,” said Bonnie, 58. “We ran it as a family business. I did the ordering of supplies and maintaining and follow-ups with clients and customers. He was the owner and operator.”
And who did the janitorial work?
“We all did it,” she said. “We gave people jobs as well. That was Dwight’s thing. He loved to help people. Any time someone would come into the church for a handout, he would say, ‘Hey, you’re going to come help clean this building for that money.’ They had to work for it.”
Bonnie also ran a beauty salon on 12th and Cedar streets called LA Cuts into the late 1990s.
A visit to their Northeast Austin residence on Oct. 11 revealed a tight-knit family that’s clinging to one another despite challenges coming from all over.
There were boxing trophies near the television in the living room, shiny reminders of the lives Dwight touched.
Dwight suffered a massive stroke in 2019, and it took away his ability to care for himself. He had no health insurance and was moved to a care facility. He was bed-bound and nonverbal. At the children's behest, Bonnie Yett brought him home and became his full-time caretaker, despite her own lupus, which causes chronic pain.
They closed down the family business, and the boxing lessons that were part of the soundtrack of his life came to an end, which saddened his two biggest fans, grandsons Nate and Isaiah, whom he taught for years.
In a nearby bedroom, Yett rested in bed. He would occasionally make a small noise while the family told their story. They spoke reverently of the family patriarch though he was unable to speak for himself.
“We fight for him now,” said Isaiah, 18. “We’re his legacy.”
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Dwight died Oct. 16. Bonnie is admittedly depressed over a second loss that rocked her family to its core.
The first came when daughter Jasmine, who had given birth to son Sire months earlier, died June 1 at age 33, one day after having a stroke just a few feet from where her father rested in bed. Jasmine also had lupus, high blood pressure and preeclampsia with Sire.
Bonnie decided not to tell her husband of their daughter’s death. He was going through enough, she said.
As for Bonnie Yett's mental well-being, the family is the one thing that keeps her going.
“I’m living for these kids and this baby,” she said while holding Sire. “They’re my everything.”
The Yett family's wishes:
Assistance with mortgage and utilities; kitchen appliances; washer and dryer; microwave oven; queen headboard; twin, queen and king-sized bedding; dresser; crib; yard work; home repairs; laptops; Microsoft Office software; towels; clothing size 6 months to 9 months for Sire; diapers sizes 3, 4 and 5; wipes; learning toys; curtains and rods; bicycles; bean bag chair; gaming chair; video game headsets; Xbox and games; Air Jordans size 9½; boxing shoes sizes 10 and 9½; boxing gloves size 8; women's tops size large; adult men's sweatsuit size small; a bench press and weights; a holiday meal; a spa day for Bonnie; and gift cards for H-E-B, Walmart and Target.
Their wish list is available on Amazon.
Nominated by: Meals on Wheels Central Texas, 3227, E. Fifth St., Austin, TX 78702. 512-476-6325, mealsonwheelscentraltexas.org
Its mission: Delivering the care that empowers our neighbors by promoting dignity and independence.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Season for Caring: Bonnie Yett tries to hold family together after twin tragedies
