Emma Maxwell Yeager

Emma Maxwell Yeager, age 100 of Austin, peacefully passed away in her home November 4, 2024. She was born at home on the Maxwell ranch in San Saba County, Texas to the late Roy Hervey and Bobbie Ann Fondren Maxwell, the youngest of six children.

Her childhood years were spent in her beloved Hill Country of central Texas as she attended schools in Richland Springs, Llano and graduated valedictorian from high school in Cherokee, Texas at the age of 16. After high school and with a scholarship in hand, she followed the footsteps of her mother and attended Daniel Baker College in Brownwood, Texas. The following year she moved to Austin, enrolling and graduating from Durham's Business College. Her work history began with her first job at the Butane Company in Brownwood, Texas as an assistant accountant and ended when she retired from her position in accounting at Tracor Computing Company in Austin, the first company based in Austin, Texas to be listed on the New York Stock exchange.

On August 21, 1946, she married the love of her life, Bill Pippen Yeager. They had a wonderful marriage of over 50 years with homes on ranches in Texas and Colorado, the Navajo Indian Reservation, and back in Austin. They explored our country in a series of RVs, as well as the world with trips to Canada, Europe, and Asia. They shared their love of God and were always very active in their church, Cameron Road Church of Christ.

Emma was an avid gardener with a keen love of flowers. She belonged to gardening clubs, and her house and balcony were always filled with plants and flowers. She was very talented and creative. She was a prolific seamstress, making clothes for herself as well as her three girls. She was a skilled painter, creating paintings that filled her home as well as many gifts for children and friends. She also spent many days painting ceramic cups and bowls that were sold for charity. She was a remarkable baker, making thousands of pecan pies, blond brownies, and batches of her famous fudge for church gatherings, family, friends, and neighbors. She always made sure that everyone felt loved and had plenty of good food to eat.

She was a doting grandmother making hundreds of trips to Houston and Nashville, TN for special occasions; birthdays, school gatherings, sporting events, graduations, and weddings. That commitment to family extended to a pen pal relationship with her great-granddaughter in Maine, but she also had several other pen pal relationships with the children and grandchildren of friends.

Emma loved and cherished her family and friends, and she touched so many people in such a loving and positive way. She was a role model for her daughters, teaching by example strength, compassion, independence, resilience, and a steadfast love of the Lord.

Emma was preceded in death by her husband Bill Pippen Yeager, her parents Roy H. and Bobbie Ann Maxwell, her brothers Roy Maxwell, Jr. and Porter Bill Maxwell, and her sisters Elsie M. Sloan, Lovie M Walker, and Gordie M. Clark.

She is survived by daughters Suzanne Yeager and her husband Glenn Scott Buckspan, CeLinda Avo and her husband Bill Kotsogean, Bobbie Ann and her husband David Thomas Rasco. She is also survived by 4 grandchildren Derrick Yeager Buckspan (Laura O’Neill), Katherine Scott Buckspan (Jon McNamara), Jennifer Lynn DeChillo (Christopher), and Kimberly Avo Simmons (John), and 6 great grandchildren Grace Anne Buckspan, Wyatt Hollan Simmons, Ashlyn Avo Simmons, Valerie Sky McNamara, Morgan Tempest McNamara, and Emma Elizabeth DeChillo.

We, her family, wish to thank the incredible staff at Brookdale, Gaines Ranch led by Nic Snyder who treated our mother and grandmother as if she were their own. We are so grateful for your consistent help with the small details of daily living, as well as your friendship and gentle, loving care.

Emma was greatly loved by all and will be dearly missed.

In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Wounded Warrior Project, or the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Burial will be held in a private family ceremony, and a celebration of life will be held in the spring, her favorite time of year, “wildflower season in her beloved Texas Hill Country”.