The Yeager Family on Thanksgiving
2003
Jes and Su Yeager with their
kids Troy (red shirt) and daughter D'Arcy (front row left).
Lou King, D'Arcy's significant
other, is to the left of Jes, and Jackie Yeager, Troy's wife is to the
right of D'Arcy.
Read BIO
Jesse Yeager
- 2003-08-10
The years have gone by so fast, I don’t know
how it’s possible that it’s been 40 years since graduation. First
of all, life is very good here in my hometown -- Saint Paul,
Minnesota. How I got here is somewhat of a story in itself.
After graduating from high school and Mizzou, Su and I married and almost immediately headed off for the Army with a short hiatus as an accounting auditor for Owens Illinois in Toledo, Ohio. Rather than going to Vietnam, I became an instructor in electronics for the Army at Ft. Eustis, Virginia. We stayed there for two years and our first child, D’Arcy, was born in the Patrick Henry Army Hospital. Our next stop was back to Columbia for a 12-month stint where Su got her master’s in journalism and I got my master’s in accounting. Then, it was back to Toledo for the 8-5 routine for a number of years. I think my favorite job was “accounting for” Jeep, but I’ll save those stories for when we get to reminiscing at the reunion. Our son Troy was born in Toledo and Su and I worked and nurtured our kids through all the ups and downs of parenthood. Both kids are happily married – and we’re waiting for grandkids. But no such luck yet.
After the kids left for college and I took a “buy out” from Chrysler, which had acquired Jeep, we decided to leave Toledo and Su took a job with Saint Paul Public Schools. I started a courier business after I left Chrysler and moved that business up to Minnesota, where we’ve been for the past six years. Our first winter here was bitter cold and it became obvious that only people who were born here know how to live in the cold – outside in the winter. I quickly found accounting work at Plastics, Inc., where I track expenditures and costs for the plant, which is owned by the infamous Tyco International.
We go to a lot of shows (theatre is big in the Twin Cities), have become fans of Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, see just about every film worth seeing, do a lot of gardening and taking care of our Victorian home (is there anything else that can fall apart in an old house?), and spend quite a bit of time traveling to see our far-flung family. Last November, we did spend a week in Hawaii—to celebrate our anniversary. Our son Troy and his wife Jackie are here in Saint Paul and we love having them close by.
Mom and Jim still live in Columbia and I get to see them fairly often. As I’m sure you know, my youngest brother John died in 1983. His wife Theresa is a teacher at the Career Center for Columbia Public Schools. Both of their daughters, Jessica and Tristin, are married to two of the greatest guys on the planet. Jim and his wife Rene run a beautiful bed and breakfast down in Fulton and if you are ever looking for a weekend getaway, that’s the place to go. Mom continues to inspire us with her ready smile and big heart.
We’re really looking forward to seeing everyone in October and special thanks to Charlie for putting this together.