William Henry Yeager

William "Bill" Henry Yeager, age 67 of Mission Hill, SD passed away unexpectedly at his home on Friday, May 30, 2014. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30, Thursday, June 5, 2014 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Yankton with Rev. John Rutten officiating. Visitations will be from 4-7 PM, Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at be Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory, Yankton with a 7 PM rosary followed by a video tribute and 7:30 PM Scripture service. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Blunt, SD on Friday, June 6, 2014 at 11:00 AM with military graveside rites by Blunt American Legion and the SDARNG, Sioux Falls. He was born to William Ward and Lenore Anna (Hertel) Yeager in Hughes County, SD on May 3, 1947. Bill attended both elementary and high school in Blunt, SD before entering into the Navy on April 1, 1966, where he proudly served before being discharged on March 31, 1972. Over the course of his lifetime, Bill had a variety of work experiences from helping out on his uncle's farm, to driving truck for D&D Trucking, to being part owner and manager of the Fireside Restaurant and Lounge in Onida, SD. His last career choice was working for Kolberg-Pioneer Inc. in Yankton, SD, where he started out as a welder and worked his way up to field service rep. working for a total of 26 years with the company before retiring in May 10, 2013. Bill has 2 daughters, Janet Elaine Yeager Fanger married to George Fanger of Sully County, SD and JoAnna Marie Yeager Gaikowski married to Dean Lee Gaikowski of Sioux Falls, SD. When time allowed, Bill enjoyed many things in life including fishing with his daughter and son-in-law, attempting to learn how to golf, visiting and spending quality time with family and friends, but his greatest passion was raising a number of horses over the years on his acreage near Mission Hill, SD. Bill was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Yankton, SD and he carried his patriotism throughout his entire life, but most importantly in his last few years, family meant the world to him. Survivors include his 2 daughters, Janet (George) Fanger, Sully County, SD and JoAnna (Dean) Gaikowski, Sioux Falls, SD; 5 grandchildren - Amanda Marie Fanger, Webster, SD, Alexis Michelle (Daniel) Timmons, Pierre, SD, Amelia Mae Fanger, Sully County, SD, George Edward Fanger, Sully County, SD, Geremiah Earl Fanger, Sully County, SD; 1 great-granddaughter - Elysabeth Marie Fanger, Sully County, SD; 3 brothers - Jerry (Darlene) Yeager, Richard (Phyllis) Yeager, Royal Yeager; 4 sisters - Maria (Tom) Dosch, Teresa (Roy) Johnson, Eileen Keiser and Rosemarie (Rick) Nelsen; 2 half-sisters - Lois (Les) Day and Carol Hanlon. He is preceded in death by his parents, William Ward and Lenore Anna Yeager, 1 sister - Nori Gunderson, 1 half-brother - Cletus Yeager and 1 half-sister - Phyllis Fredrick.