Raymond H. Yeager

Aviation Safety Consultant

On Monday evening, September 25, 2017, Raymond Hauck Yeager of Silver Spring, MD, and Bethlehem, PA, passed away at his Maryland home at the age of 95.

Born July 19, 1922, in Lebanon County, PA, Ray was the son of the late Raymond K. and Hilda Hauck Yeager, both long-time residents and business owners in Bethlehem.

Following graduation from high school, Ray moved to California to pursue his passion: aeronautical engineering. But he soon left college to enlist in the Army Air Corps and serve in World War II. Following the war, he joined the Civil Aeronautics Agency, the precursor of the Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration. As an air traffic control specialist, Ray travelled throughout the United States inspecting air traffic facilities, participating in aircraft accident investigations, and providing policy guidance. He received special achievement awards for his expert witness assistance to the National Transportation Safety Board and the Department of Justice in lawsuits and trials resulting from aircraft accidents. He retired in January 1980 after 36 years of service. Subsequently, Ray set up an aviation safety consultancy, providing advice to government and private litigators in the U.S. and abroad.

His first marriage, to Gloria Anne Gordon, ended in divorce. His wife, Ethel Langer Yeager, died September 12, 2006. He is survived by his daughter, Susan Yeager (Curtis Fetty) of Davidsonville, MD, and a stepson, Philip S. Burns (Lauren Buschor) of Kensington, MD.

Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Thursday, October 5, 2017, at Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home, 11800 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, where funeral services will be held following visitation. Interment at Parklawn Cemetery, Rockville, Maryland.