John William Yager

John William Yager, 93, passed away on December 17, 2025. He was born on January 18, 1932 to Frank and Violet (Antene) Yager in Oklahoma City, OK. John was a graduate of Putnam City High School where he met his wife Cecilia (Davis) Yager. They soon became sweethearts. John was the star quarterback for the football team and was football king with Cecilia as his football queen. He attended alumni events for years. In June 1951, John and Cecilia were married and they enjoyed 65 years of marriage before Cecilia's passing in 2017. From this union were born 3 sons: Brice, Jan, and Todd and one daughter, Donna. They moved to eastern Canadian County in 1956, where John lived until his death. All four of John's children attended and graduated from Piedmont High School. He loved watching high school basketball and would travel the state to watch games even before his children started playing. He served on the school board for fifteen years. He was an involved father to his children, often playing sports, fishing, and helping with chores. John served in the United States Army from 1951 to 1953. He was active duty in the Korean conflict, was stationed at Fort Hood, TX, and then stationed in Japan before returning home to Oklahoma. John worked at the Oklahoma Publishing Company for over twenty years and was part owner of the Piedmont-Surrey Gazette. He also worked as a trim carpenter and raised cattle on his farm property near Calumet, OK. He was a member of the American Legion and VFW. He enjoyed gardening and was an avid birdwatcher. He loved dogs and all kinds of nature. He loved his family and was immensely proud of his eleven grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren. He valued being a part of big family gatherings and would often be at the table playing cards or dominos, usually enforcing Yager "house rules". John was preceded in death by his wife Cecilia, his parents and his sister, Patsy Cook. He is survived by his sons, Brice and Gina Yager, Jan and Tammy Yager, and Todd Yager; daughter, Donna and Ron Edgar; eleven grandchildren, and nineteen great-grandchildren. He will be greatly missed. Celebration of Life services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 30, 2025 at the Yanda & Son Funeral Home Chapel, Yukon, OK. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to https://help.dav.org or an animal rescue in John's name.