Harold "Yogi" Bair

1940 - 2022

Harold "Yogi" Bair, 82, of Linesville, passed away peacefully of a brief illness on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022.
Born May 18, 1940, in Punxsutawney, he was the son of Ora Dunlap Huff Bair and Laird Bair. He married Ethel Jean Goodyear on Jan. 2, 1960, in Pittsburgh, and moved to Crawford County the day they married.
A legend in the Corvette community has passed. Commonly known as "Yogi," the 82-year-old dedicated his life to reproducing parts and repairing and driving Corvettes. Yogi's humble beginnings start in Punxsutawney. After marriage, Yogi and his beloved wife Jean then moved to Crawford County. Yogi found work at a local car dealership owned by Vic Farrah and then worked on Corvettes at night at a garage owned by Gary Giering in the 1960s.
Yogi's entrepreneurial skills were first put to work by making spotlights to search for deer. Thousands were sold and are still in use to this day. When Yogi discovered the art of fiberglass repair, he created an innovation of products that would speed up the fiberglass repair process.
In 1970, Yogi, along with his wife Jean, started Bair's Corvettes in a small garage behind their house in Linesville. That business has grown into a business still in Linesville that now includes five buildings. Yogi never stopped innovating, making more products as he and his local staff repaired thousands of classic Corvettes for customers worldwide.
Yogi was a staple at Corvette swap meets and gatherings across America and became an expert on 1963-1982 Corvettes from top to bottom. When asked what his favorite color was on a Corvette, he would say, "A red one. All the rest were a mistake." Chevrolet made some outstanding Corvette models during Yogi's lifetime. However, if you asked Yogi what his favorite Corvette of all time is, he would simply tell you, "A wrecked one." It is appropriate that Yogi would be involved in a business that involves sports cars. Yogi himself had more than 100 speeding tickets and was proud of it.
Besides his love of Corvettes Yogi also loved hunting Elk with his friends in Idaho. Many may have noticed the mammoth creatures from Yogi's elk hunts that are proudly on display in one of the Bairs Corvettes buildings.
Yogi loved the community he called home, donating to many young sports programs in Linesville and also the Lakeland Valley Senior Center. Yogi would talk to everyone and anyone who would listen, and what a story they would hear from a man who built a life for his family and a business that is still thriving today, all with an eighth-grade education. The Bairs encourage everyone to keep Yogi's memory alive by sharing the stories he often shared. As Yogi always said before leaving, "Thanks for listening."
Yogi and Jean enjoyed traveling and had made 30 trips to Las Vegas and 11 countries on cruise ships. Yogi was a kind man with many jokes and famous one-liners.
Survivors include his loving wife of 62 years, Jean Bair; a daughter, Robin Bair Meek and husband Ron; a granddaughter, Amber Meek; a son, Brian O. Bair and wife Mary Beth; sister Ethel Richardson; brother-in-law Guy Oliver and wife Deb; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings, Mildred, Howard, Irvin, Clara, Ruth Alma, Bonnie Jean, James, Calvin and Violet; and many sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law.
Services were held Dec. 28 at Bair's Corvettes, and burial was in Linesville Cemetery.
A special tribute "Corvette Cruise In" to honor Yogi will be held Saturday, May 20, 2023 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Bair's Corvettes, 316 Franklin St., Linesville. A town cruise in honor of Yogi will be at 2:30 p.m.
Per Yogi's request, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Lakeland Valley Senior Center, 237 S. Pymatuning St., P.O. Box 934, Linesville, PA 16424. The senior center held a special place in Yogi's heart, as he donated the land and was instrumental in the construction.
Please share a condolence or memory of Yogi for the family at royalcolemanfuneralhome.com.