Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Yager, Duane Eugene 2014 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Marilyn Ransom mransom311@gmail.com July 15, 2015, 2:23 pm The Hastings Reminder, Friday, February 1, 2014 Duane (Buck) Eugene Yager, age 80, of Lake Odessa died peacefully at home with his family at his side on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. Buck was born on February 4, 1933 to Theo and Elaine (Linhart) Yager in Lake Odessa, where he lived his entire life. Buck attended Lake Odessa Schools and graduated with the Lake Odessa High School class of 1951 and continued many friendships over the years with his classmates. He attended Michigan State University for a short time and farmed with his father. On March 25, 1953 he enlisted in the United States Army and completed his basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas. It was at the end of his basic training that the cease fire was signed at which time he was assigned to Fort Lewis, WA, then to Fort Cronkite, CA to protect the West Coast and the Golden Gate Bridge. In May of 1954 Buck was shipped to Kadena Airstrip in Okinawa where he completed his commission, and was discharged on February 15, 1955. After returning home, he worked on the family farm until 1957 when he began his career in the insurance industry with Farm Bureau. He married Shirley Jean Stadel in 1956 and they had three children, Tammy, Jim and Tim. Over the next 10 years Buck owned an independent agency with Nationwide Insurance Company and was the sales manager with Dell Adams Ford. In 1966 he joined McCartney Insurance and Real Estate Agency. In 1979 he purchased the business, eventually sold the insurance division and formed Yager Realty, Inc. He was very involved in community activities throughout his life. Some of the more notable contributions included organizing and chairing the Village Planning Commission, the charter president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, charter member and past president of the Ionia County Board of Realtors, Board Member and president of the Chamber of Commerce, and worked with the local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Additionally, he was the president of the Lake Odessa Little League for 13 years, spearheaded the building of the little league fields at the fairgrounds, and eventually was honored by the naming of the ballpark to “Duane Yager Field.” He was instrumental in the rebuilding of the Lakewood High School football field in 1973 and was a member of the Lakewood United Methodist Church for many years. In 1986, Buck married Ellen Durling Manshum and together they celebrated 27 years of marriage. Buck and Ellen loved to travel, golf, go out to eat and spend time with their eight children and many grandchildren and great- grandchildren. One of Buck’s favorite pastimes was working in his yard and he was very proud of his straight lines and the perfectly manicured yard. He enjoyed his flowers and his flower garden brought him many years of happiness. For the past 13 years he has spent a great amount of time with his black lab (Happy) and could be seen driving through town or around the countryside counting deer with her by his side. Buck is survived by his wife, Ellen; his children, Tammy (Kendall) Smith of Lake Odessa, Jim (Polly) Yager of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, Tim (Kathi) Yager of Katy, TX, Sue (Rick) Spagnuolo of Wixom, Mike (Mechele) Manshum of Columbus, TX, Jeff (Connie) Manshum of Mulliken, Scott (Nancy) Manshum of Austin, TX, Amy (Brian) Robinson of Lake Odessa; his brothers, Cam Yager, Sr. of Lake-Odessa and Wendall (Bonnie) Yager of Ionia. He is also survived by many grandchildren and great grandchildren that always brought a smile to his face. Buck had many nieces, nephews and cousins that he enjoyed telling stories with and to. He was preceded in death by his parents, Theo and Elaine Yager; first wife, Shirley Yager; sister-in-law, Kay Yager, brother-in-law, William Durling; sister-in-law, Betty Conrad and many friends. Funeral services were held for Buck on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014 at the Lakewood United Methodist Church. Committal services will take place at Lakeside Cemetery in Lake Odessa. Memorials may be made in Buck’s name to Spectrum Hospice, Lakewood United Methodist Church, or the Lake Odessa Fire Department. Arrangements made by Koops Funeral Home in Lake Odessa. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/y/yager31420nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 4.7 Kb