Rockport-Fulton - Richard Anthony Yeager, age 76 from Biloxi, Mississippi passed away on July 14, 2024, at his home in Rockport-Fulton, Texas. He will be terribly missed by his family and friends, and we will forever be grateful for the wonderful memories and the bearing he had on our lives.  He was a devoted father and was a true friend and confidant to so many that knew him well. Richard, known as “Dick” or “Dicky” to his friends and “Capt. Dick” to a special few, was born in Biloxi, Mississippi on New Year’s Day, January 1, 1947, to James Carroll Yeager, and Evelyn Louise Yeager (Murrell).  He was the “baby brother” to Gerald A. Yeager and James Carroll Yeager, Jr. “J.C.”  His father was a gifted boatman, descending from a long line of shipwrights and craftsman, and his work as a marine surveyor would take the family to live in many places, from coastal Biloxi to New Orleans and ultimately to Beaumont, Texas.  Dick was a consummate storyteller, and he would often regale his friends with the colorful tales of his youth in these wonderful Southern cities.  Upon graduating from Beaumont High School, his father soon found him work as a deckhand on a tugboat where he would spend the next year traveling to many ports between New Orleans and the Great Lakes.  He later “jumped ship” somewhere in Canada and booked passage on a bus to Trinidad, Colorado, where he spent a year or so in gunsmithing school.  Dick enjoyed his soul-searching time in the mountains, but he was ultimately drawn back to roots on the Gulf coast.  He moved to Houston, Texas and joined his older brothers in seeking work in the insurance industry.  Dick married Lucy Ann (Jackson) in 1971 and the two of them lived together in Houston for a few years before they embarked on a hiatus from the corporate world and moved back to be near Dick’s family in Pass Christian, Mississippi.  Lucy gave birth to their only son, Brian Jackson Yeager, on October 20, 1978, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.  The family spent another three years at the coast, restoring their old house and fishing the waters of Mississippi Sound with Dick’s father and brother, Gerald, and his family.  Career opportunities would ultimately call them back to Houston. Dick had a successful career in the land title business that spanned more than 40 years.  He held several leadership roles with various companies and retired as President of Partners Title Company.  Dick was tirelessly supportive of “his people” and was incredibly proud of their successes.  He would often say, “you are my horse, even if you never win a race.”  Dick and Lucy purchased a weekend home on Galveston Bay, and it became their collective passion for many wonderful years.  The family would spend every opportunity at the Bay house or out on the Gulf and countless memories were made and lifelong friendships were born there. Following his retirement, Dick embarked on a journey that would become his final chapter in Rockport, Texas.  He wanted to be closer to his son, Brian, and daughter-in-law Mandy Yeager, and was also keen to get in on the spectacular hunting and fishing of South Texas.  He purchased a cottage among the oak trees along Fulton Beach, and promptly joined the Rockport Country Club.  Dick enjoyed his new home immensely, and he was quick to embrace the culture of Rockport and was incredibly grateful for his network of dear friends.  He fished, hunted, golfed, or played cards nearly every day.  His final act was a decade filled with wonderful experiences with family and friends in the coastal bend.  We will especially miss all the fishing and hunting trips, but also the boat projects, the feeder filling, the campfires, long morning talks over coffee and “white bread toast” and afternoon cocktails on the gallery.  Dick was preceded in death by his parents: James Carroll Yeager, and Evelyn Louise Yeager; brothers: James Carroll Yeager, Jr., and Gerald A. Yeager. He was a generous man and steadfast optimist in the face of adversity and was dedicated to emboldening others around him.  We will forever cherish his countless words of wisdom and encouragement. He fought his illness with courage and grace to the very end, and we will take comfort knowing that his pain is over, and his soul is at peace. 

“Except for memory, time would have no meaning at all.” 

“Memory is the only way home.”

-Pat Conroy

Beach Music

There will be a celebration of life at a later date. 

Guestbook available online at www.resthavenfunerals.com

Arrangements and care entrusted to Resthaven Funeral Home, Aransas Pass.