William "Bill" LaRose Yoder Jr.

William “Bill” L. Yoder, Jr., 94, of Raleigh, passed away Tuesday, July 19, 2016 in the Stewart Health Center at Springmoor. Bill was born in Raleigh on December 11, 1921 to the late William L. Yoder and Elizabeth Brown Yoder. His mother Elizabeth was the daughter of John Wesley Brown, who was the 2nd generation owner and operator of H. J. Brown’s Coffin House, established in 1836; which today is Brown-Wynne Funeral Home - Raleigh’s oldest operating business. He was a graduate of Needham Broughton High School, class of 1939; and earned his degree in electrical engineering from NC State University, class of 1943.

Bill served the US Army Signal Corps and earned the rank of 1st Lieutenant, serving under General MacArthur in the Philippines. He worked for Public Service Electric and Gas of NJ, and was president of Crane Motor Company - a General Motors dealership in Little Falls, NJ.

Bill moved back to Raleigh in 2009. He was a member of The Ole Raleigh Boys, Kiwanis Club of Raleigh and Edenton Street United Methodist Church.

Bill was predeceased by his wife of 61 years, Margy Crane in 2005. He is survived by his four children; Elizabeth Y. Chismark (Kurt), William L. Yoder III (Trish), Kimberly Y. Franciosi (Frank), and James S. Yoder (Lisa); 10 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; and his 2 brothers, Robert P. Yoder and James K. Yoder.

A graveside service will be conducted on Friday, July 22, 2016 at 10:00 am at Historic Oakwood Cemetery. A memorial service will also be held Friday at 1:30 pm in the chapel of Springmoor Retirement Community, 1500 Sawmill Rd. The family will receive friends immediately following the memorial service, also at Springmoor.

Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (3739 National Dr. Ste 110, Raleigh, NC 27612); the Springmoor Endowment Fund (1500 Sawmill Rd. Raleigh, NC 27615); or to the charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Saint Mary’s St., Raleigh. Condolences may be made through brownwynne.com.