H. William "Bill" Yeager

H. William "Bill" Yeager, 93, of Cape Girardeau, passed away Sunday, April 26, 2015 at Southeast Hospital. He was born February 16, 1922 in Sedgewickville, Missouri to the late John C. and Carrie O. (Crites) Yeager. He was raised on the family farm near Oak Ridge and graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1940. He and Regina A. Whitfield of Chaffee, MO were married on May 8, 1948. She preceded him in death February 18, 2009. Mr. Yeager was in the U.S. Army from October 1942 to November 1945, serving with the Fifth Army (under General Mark Clark), 91st Calvary Reconnaissance. He was involved in the North Africa campaign in addition to fighting in Sicily and Italy. While serving in Italy he and four other soldiers were trapped in a cave on Mt. Helena behind enemy lines for 30 days, fighting almost constantly to prevent being killed or captured. On another occasion, he used the Leaning Tower of Pisa as an observation post. In 1946 Mr. Yeager completed barber school in Memphis, TN, and set up shop in the Marquette Hotel in Cape Girardeau. In 1970 he opened The Barber of Seville at 423 Broadway, barbering there until he retired in 2000. Mr. Yeager considered barbering not just a job but a profession and virtually a calling, giving his all to do the very best possible job for his clients and making a huge number of friends over the years in his barber shop. His list of patrons was equivalent of "Who's Who" in southeast Missouri and beyond. Among the well-known people whose hair he cut were: Dizzy Dean, Marty Marion, Mort Cooper, Buddy Ebsen, Guy Lombardo, Bernard Cardinal Law, President Harry S. Truman and Missouri Governors John Dalton and Warren Hearnes. He was a member of St. Mary Cathedral Parish, VFW post 3838 and the American Legion post 63. Survivors include a brother, Bobby Gene Yeager of Humboldt, Tennessee; sister, Elodie Davis of Swinton, Missouri; several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife; brother, Buford Yeager; sister, Frieda Schuette; sister-in-law, Ann Whitfield; brother-in-law, Henry "Hank" Whitfield. Visitation will be Tuesday, April 28, 2015 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel with parish prayers at 7 p.m. Funeral mass will be Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary Cathedral with Rev. Allan Saunders and Msgr. Richard Rolwing officiating. Burial with full military honors will follow at Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Mary's Building on Faith Fund.

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H. William "Bill" Yeager

April 26, 2015