“People knew they could go to him because of the way he treated others,” said Alex Burchinal, junior Christian studies major, when discussing the permanent, positive impact his close friend, Isaac Yeier, 20-year-old former California Baptist University student, had on him and others around him.
Yeier died Nov. 18 after both of his safety straps broke while rock-climbing with friends in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area in Las Vegas.
Bekah Frisch, Yeier’s older sister and CBU alumna, spoke to his character and spirit.
“Isaac loved adventure; he was fearless,” Frisch said. “(He) was always an incredible listener and a good friend to everyone and made them feel welcomed. The thing I’ll remember most is his love for the Lord and how he shared it with others.”
Frisch said Yeier was a dedicated rock-climber, skier and paddle-boarder in the summer and spent a lot of time camping and hiking with friends.
“We just have been saying that was the time God wanted Isaac to go home,” Frisch said. “We truly can’t wait to be with him again one day.”
Daylon Martin, junior graphic design major, was one of the friends who was rock-climbing with Yeier. He said Yeier was a wonderful and encouraging friend.
“Isaac was a funny guy who loved to joke around and be himself around people,” Martin said. “He was definitely inspiring and strove to put the Lord first, even when he made mistakes.”
Martin also recounted a time when Yeier heavily encouraged him in his own Christian walk by engaging in intimate conversation about faith.
“I remember sitting around the campfire, camping with him in Joshua Tree,” Martin said. “We had a long conversation about where he was with the Lord and how he was seeking the Lord out after a hard season in his life.”
Friends said the days following Yeier’s death were full of prayer and heartbreak over the loss but also of remembrance by all his friends and family of Yeier’s vibrant life that pointed others to Jesus Christ.
Burchinal said one of his favorite memories was when Yeier returned home from a CBU international service project in Spain the summer of 2016.
“One memory I have of Isaac is when he went on an ISP trip to Spain and came back raving about what God had taught him,” Burchinal said. “It was after that trip that he wanted to truly live a life on mission for Christ. Getting to talk to him about that and see how much he had changed truly showed me how much of a man of God he was.”
Burchinal said Yeier inspired him to be a better person and serve his community better, as Yeier served as a resident advisor for the University Place living area on CBU’s campus during the 2016-2017 school year while Burchinal was a resident advisor for the Cottages.
“He truly cared about his staff and his residents and it showed consistently through his actions,” Burchinal said.
A service was held at Trinity Church in Redlands Nov. 25. Following the service coffee was served from Yeier’s favorite coffee house, Augie’s Coffee.
A GoFundMe page was created to support the service, which received more than $1,600 in donations in six days.
Yeier is survived by his two sisters, Rikki Yeier and Bekah Frisch, his mother and step-father, Martha and Michael Lum, and his father, Rick Yeier.
