Yvonne Siard Hager

Yvonne Siard HAGER Yvonne Siard Hager, Mrs. Nevada of 1966, died peacefully in her home in Issaquah, Washington on February 25, 2011. Shewas 95 years old. Yvonne was born in Winnemucca, Nevada, to Blanche Robert Siard and Sylvain Siard, who had immigrated from France to raise cattle, sheep, and horses in Humboldt and Pershing Counties. At the age of eleven, when her father died, and with her mother speaking only French, Yvonne became the family spokeswoman. Thanks to the hard work of her older brother Rene - a cousin who was adopted by her parents after the death of his own father - Yvonne and her family, which by now included two younger brothers, were able to stay on the ranch. After graduating from Humboldt High School in the midst of the Great Depression, Yvonne put herself through college at the University of Nevada-Reno, earning a teaching degree. She taught for a year in a one-room schoolhouse and spent thirteen years teaching second grade at Winnemucca Grammar School. She married Edward Hager, a mining engineer, in 1950. With her two sons in school and her husband travelling the world on business, she plunged into civic activities. She was a charter member of the Winnemucca Business and Professional Club and the Eta Chapter of the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority; and a member of numerous other organizations, including the American Association of University Women and St. Paul's Altar Society. Yvonne also enjoyed contests of every description. Before winning the Mrs. Nevada-America pageant at the age of 51, she won a trip to Dover, Delaware, as a finalist in the National Chicken Cooking Contest. After the death of her husband in 1980, Yvonne stayed close to her brothers, and her children and grandchildren, dividing her time between Winnemucca and the ranch. During the last decade of her life she lived in Bellevue and Issaquah, where she spent seven years at The University House. She enjoyed Seattle culture and her last outing was to the Cirque de Symphonie in December. But a large piece of her heart always remained in the wide-open, sunny terrain of northern Nevada. In addition to her husband, Yvonne was preceded in deathby her brothers, Robert and Cesar Siard, and Rene Amat. She leaves two sons, Harold E. Hager of Bellevue, Washington; and Robert R. Hager of Reno, Nevada; and seven grandchildren. Remembrances may be made to the American Cancer Society.