Davis Lloyd Yeager

Published in the Dallas Morning News from 11/15/2008 - 11/16/2008

Davis Lloyd Yeager, 91, died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, November 12th, at his home at The Forum on Park Lane.

Born in Honey Grove, Texas in 1917, Yeager graduated from North Texas State University with a degree in Chemistry in 1940 and played the trumpet in the NTSU Eagle Band. While standing in line to register for classes, he met his future wife Julia Faye Lain of Kopperl, Texas. Upon graduation, Yeager taught high school in Batson and Port Arthur, Texas, and coached the Football, Basketball, and Track Teams.

He also played two-and-half seasons of Professional Baseball as a left-handed-pitcher in the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee (KITTY) League, and in the West Texas-New Mexico Leagues.

During World War II, he served as a U.S. Navy officer, taught Radar Operations at Princeton, MIT, and Boca Raton, FL, and later served in the Pacific Fleet Airwing near Okinawa.

At the end of the War, he moved with his wife Judy and two young daughters to Garland, TX, where he worked as an Electronics Engineer at Varo Mfg. Inc for nineteen years.

After his retirement, he served on the Dallas County Grand Jury. He coached Little League Baseball for several years, and was an avid golfer for most of his adult life. He played an average of 225 rounds of golf every year for 25 consecutive years at Eastern Hills Country Club in Garland, enjoyed four holes-in-one, and won the Club Championship by eight strokes in 1966.

Beloved by his family and friends, Yeager retained his high intellect, exceptional memory, independent spirit, love of sport, courtesy, and compassion until the last day of his life.

Preceded in death in 1986, by his wife Judy, Yeager is survived by his daughter Sue and husband Jerry Whitt of Jackson, Mississippi, daughter Kay and husband Jim Watson of Dallas, seven grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, sister-in-law Charlyne Anderson of Richardson, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, and by the Dwayne Cordell Family of Murphy, Texas.

Donations may be made to any Public Library, or to the charity of one's choice. A Memorial Service will be held at 2 o'clock on Sunday Afternoon, November 16th, at Williams Funeral Home, 1600 South Garland Avenue, in Garland.