Jack Elliott YEAGER

1928 - 2016

YEAGER, Jack Elliott Jack Elliott Yeager of Stone Mountain, Georgia passed away December 30th, 2016. He was born December 18, 1928. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Betty Jo (Bowman) Yeager of Stone Mountain, Judy Yeager of Covington, GA; Ken and Gayle (Dobson) Yeager of Atlanta, GA, along with several nieces and nephews. Jack graduated from West Fulton High School in Atlanta in 1947 and was active in the U.S. Navy from1949 to 1955. Jack worked for Southern Bell for over 40 years and then went to AT&T until he retired in 1988. While at AT&T, he installed the 911 system at its instigation years ago. Jack was the director of Atlanta Motor Speedway for 26 years, where he was in charge of security and parking of the infield. He was an avid NASCAR fan and enjoyed socializing with the drivers and their crew. Jack was an active member of the Masonic Lodge, as well as the Yaarab Shrine Temple, where he was involved in the Motor Corp and held various positions with different units. He enjoyed working the Shrine Circus every year and loved seeing the children laugh. Jack was one of the charter members of the Mustang Club of America, which started back in 1976 in his basement in Decatur, Georgia where the now international magazine was put together and typed by his wife. He was the first national head judge of the Mustang Club of America and instigated the judging rules still in use today and that was one of the many reasons he was inducted into the Ford Mustang Hall of Fame in 2016. He restored several old Mustangs in his garage in Decatur and many members of the DeKalb Police Department, as well as the fire department enjoyed dropping by to see Jack's restorations. He was often seen in his infamous coveralls in the yard as well as his garage. Jack enjoyed traveling and his last trip was for his 80th birthday where he and Betty went to Las Vegas and had the privilege of touring the Shelby factory as well as the museum and he was given a personally signed birthday card by Carroll Shelby. Jack and Betty moved to Park Springs Retirement Community in 2015 shortly after he developed dementia and its decline made his life less fulfilling, although he enjoyed people and was often heard telling people there when asked how he was doing that "he was fine as a frog hair split four ways" Jack was known all of his life for his smile. He constantly had a smile on his face and his CB radio handle back in the day was "Smiley". It is unfortunate that his smile has come to an end, but those who knew him will always remember it when they think of him. He will be greatly missed by his wife and those who knew and loved him. Funeral services will be held in the chapel of A. S. Turner and Sons at 11:00 am on Monday, January 2, 2017. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to the Scottish Rite Children's Hospital. The family will receive friends on Sunday, January 1, 2017 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm at A. S Turner and Sons Funeral Home and Crematory.