Vicie Ophelia Yeager, 1921-2019

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Vicie Ophelia Yeager died Saturday Nov. 9, 2019 at age 98. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. at Beaty Funeral Home in Winnsboro on Friday, Nov. 15. The funeral will be held at the Faith Baptist Church in Quitman at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16.

Ophelia was born Aug. 28, 1921 in Cullman County, Alabama to Samuel Henry Thomas and Clema Hart Thomas.  

On Oct. 4, 1941 Ophelia married Larkin Johnson Yeager.  Jay and Ophelia had their first child in January 1943, a son, Stanley C. Yeager. Hard times were nothing new to the Thomases or Yeagers. World War II had broken out and it seemed that the entire war would be fought by young farm boys from Cullman, Ala. Jay and his four brothers all served in the US Navy in the Pacific and Ophelia’s four brothers served in the Army and Marines in Europe. One younger brother from each family also served in the Navy and Air Force after the war.

After the war ended Jay and Ophelia carried on with their life in rural Alabama farming and later moving to Birmingham where Jay worked for the Birmingham Transit Authority. In February 1954 their second son was born, Timothy L. Yeager.

Church had always been an important part of life for both Jay and Ophelia. In 1959 Jay was called in to the ministry and moved his family to Fort Worth to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He went on to pastor churches in Kansas, Alabama and Texas.

Ophelia was as much a part of his pastorates as Jay was; you did not have one without the other. Ophelia was quiet and behind the scenes – always supportive and beside Jay in hospital visits, new people in the community and helping people that had little to hope for.

Ophelia is survived by two sons, Stanley  Yeager and wife Patricia Yeager and Tim Yeager and wife Twyla Yeager; four grandsons, Stephen Yeager, Douglas Yeager, Landon Yeager and Jarrod Yeager; three great-grandsons, Carson Yeager, Luke Yeager and Jake Yeager; three great-granddaughters, Alexandra Yeager, Melanie Yeager and Holly Yeager; and one brother, Joseph Milton Thomas.

Ophelia is preceded in death by her husband of 78 years, Jay Yeager; five brothers, Euless Thomas, Donavan Thomas, Willard Thomas, R L Thomas and Benny Thomas; and three sisters, Corine Neely, Mae Watts and Dorothy Sorell.