Mae Yeater Yager

Mae Yeater Yager passed from this life into Glory on June 17, 2026, after a short heart-related illness. She was surrounded by her loving family. She was born in June of 1937 to Goldie Mae Gain and Benjamin Yeater. Mae was the fifth child out of ten, and the third daughter out of six daughters. She was the middle child in every sense of the word but she was never, ever ordinary.

She was born in West Virginia but grew up in the farming town of Thompson, Ohio. She was surrounded by so many friends both at school and at church. Home Ec and history were her two favorite subjects. She kept in touch with those school friends for the rest of her life, and attended her seventieth high school reunion last summer.

After a very difficult childhood at home, Mae married the great love of her life, Kenneth L. Yager, on December 24, 1955. They each came from challenging homes, but together they chose to raise their family differently. They raised their children in a home filled with love and compassion.

Mae was a stay-at-home wife and mother and never regretted that decision. She was involved in her children’s schools, church, and community. She was a girl scout leader to each of her daughters. She was the “coach’s wife” to her son’s pee-wee football teams while her husband was the coach. She fixed a hot breakfast for her family every morning before they headed off to school and work. She gathered her family around the supper table every evening.

As her children grew up, she became a substitute teacher at the elementary level, and eventually, became a Montessori teacher to the “very littles” - the birth to eighteen months. She loved helping them to learn and grow.

In her later years, Mae crocheted baby blankets for the Knots for NICU, and hats for Knots of Love, donating hundreds of hats (beanies) and blankets for our most fragile members of society.

She was proudest of her children and their accomplishments, and she was always ready to lend a helping hand with whatever they were doing. For Mae, family was everything. And, not just her “present” family. She was an amateur genealogist who traced her family back into the mists of time to 1530 in Scotland. She was proud to be a Mayflower descendant, as well as the descendant of an active English peerage. She loved that several of her ancestors had established churches wherever they had lived. She was a descendant of founders of the states of New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and West Virginia. At every cemetery she visited, she would remind those family members resting there that they were not forgotten, that they were remembered; just as we shall always remember her.

Mae was predeceased by her beloved husband, Ken, her son-in-law, Eddie Lucas, her parents, seven of her siblings, and a number of nieces and nephews. Left to mourn her loss are her children: K. Shawn Gonzalez (Eric); Karolea R. Lucas; Kenneth E. (Jen); Kyle A. (Fabiana); and Kelly A. (Carol); Her grandchildren: Sheri, Rachel, Anita, Dillon, Elizabeth, Jack, and Avery; and several great-grandchildren. Also left to mourn her loss are her sisters, Nellie Egleston and Patty Korpela, and her cousin-whom-she-called-sister, Maxine Perrine Gibson.

Family will receive friends to pay tribute to the life of Mae at THE DeJOHN FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY OF CHARDON (formerly Ritondaro) 126 SOUTH ST. (Rt. 44, south of Rt. 6/Chardon Square) Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 1-2 PM.

A service in celebration of Mae’s life will be held at 2 PM.

Burial and committal will follow the service at Maple Grove Cemetery in Thompson, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice or a pancreatic cancer research program.