Rev. Leslie C. Yeager

Rev. Leslie C. Yeager Sr., 87, died Friday, July 11, 2014, at Hickory Creek of Connersville. Born January 10, 1927, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, he was the fourth of eight children of Paul Leslie and Tonnie Mae Bitner Yeager. When he was 12, his family moved to Dayton, Ohio. He graduated from Wittenberg University (Springfield, Ohio) in 1948 and received his Masters of Theology degree from Hamma Divinity School (Hamma School of Theology) in 1950. The first congregation he served was Zion Lutheran in Pershing, Indiana (1950-1956). In spite of overhearing a member say during his first week, “Oh dear! They sent us a boy!” Pastor Yeager was much loved, and the feeling was mutual. He next pastored Good Shepherd Lutheran in Indianapolis for 18 years. He was involved in the early years of the congregation and the first and second building phases as the church thrived under his leadership. The young congregation was meeting in a lodge hall when Pastor Yeager accepted the call. They built a house chapel for worship followed by the erection of the current church building all during the time Pastor Yeager was there. In 1974 Pastor Yeager began serving St. James Lutheran in Greenfield, Indiana, from which he retired in 1991. The congregation flourished during those years, sponsored a Laotian family, and remodeled the facility. Their love of Pastor Yeager was demonstrated by successfully surprising Les and Betty with a celebration of their 40th wedding anniversary and a few years later a retirement send-off with so much joy, they laughed until they cried. Upon retirement, he and his wife, Betty, chose Richmond as their home. During his “retirement” he was an interim pastor for congregations in Winchester and Berne, Indiana, and was the assistant pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Richmond for a number of years. Pastor Yeager was an ordained minister for 64 years. “A kind and good Christian man,” Betty Louise Jones Yeager, his wife of 64 years, described him. He is survived by his wife and their children, Leslie C. (Margie) Yeager, Jr. of Connersville and Julie (Darrell) Liggett of Greensburg, Indiana, and six grandchildren, Amanda Young of Indianapolis, Andrew (Lisa) Yeager of Birmingham Alabama, Elizabeth (Joseph) Hill of Maryville, Tennessee, Heather McCoy of Rushville, Indiana, and Melissa McCoy and Charles McCoy, both of Greensburg, Indiana. He is also survived by five great-grandchildren and his siblings, Gladys Zachmeyer of Idaho, Vern Yeager of Dayton, Ohio, and Jay (Judy) Yeager of Kettering, Ohio; sister-in-law, Bonnie Yeager of Springfield, Ohio; nieces; nephews; and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, James and Paul Yeager; and sisters, Effie Breining and Dorthea Strobel. Not only did Pastor Yeager serve his congregations, he also served the community. He was Dean of the church district, a member of Wittenberg University’s Board of Directors, a hospice volunteer, and Rotary member. He and his wife, Betty, delivered Meals-on-Wheels for a number of years. They sponsored a young man from a displaced persons camp in Austria during their first year of marriage, and later helped several Latvian families settle in the United States through sponsorships. Visitation for Rev. Leslie C. Yeager will be from 5 to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, 2014, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 121 South 18th Street, Richmond. There will also be visitation from 2-3:00 p.m. Thursday, July 17, 2014, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church followed by the funeral service at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, July 17, 2014, at the church with Rev. Robert Meckley and Pastor Steven L. Schwier officiating. Burial will be in Lutheran Cemetery in Pershing, Indiana. Arrangements are being handled by Doan & Mills Funeral Home, 790 National Road West, Richmond. Memorial contributions may be made to: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 121 South 18th Street, Richmond, IN 47374 or Evangelical Lutheran Church of America for World Hunger, P.O. Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-1764. Condolences may be sent to the family via the guest book at www.doanmillsfuneralhome.com.

Rev. Leslie C. Yeager

January 10, 1927 - July 11, 2014