Ray Yeager

L. Ray Yeager, 80, was born August 5,1944, in Great Falls, Montana to Edward M. and Florence E. (Bush) Yeager. He passed peacefully at home in Tell City, Indiana, with his family at his side on June 8, 2025.

Ray was a true Montana cowboy and anyone who knew him was sure to be told a story about Montana. Ray was raised on a cattle ranch in Choteau, Montana and learned ranching and business skills at a young age. He was an athlete who excelled at track, football, and rodeo in high school. Ray qualified and competed in many Montana State high school rodeos and won several Montana high school track events, including Montana State high hurdles and the 440-yard race his senior year. He earned from Future Farmers of America the Montana Star State Beef Farmer award and the Montana State Star Farmer award. Following high school graduation, Ray traveled with fellow national FFA leaders to 12 countries in Europe. Ray went on to rodeo at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, and was the recipient of the first scholarship given by MSU for rodeo. He corralled the famed Bill Linderman memorial trophy and the new Cremer-Hart memorial trophy and scholarship, and qualified and competed in several national college rodeo competitions. Ray was a skilled horseman and a true horse whisperer. He was a master at tying knots and crafted hand-tooled leather goods creating custom belts for fellow rodeo participants of the Rocky Mountain Region throughout his college days.

Ray married Phyllis (Rice,) his high school sweetheart, in 1963. They had 2 children: Karla (Mike) and Ty (Jill) and 4 grandchildren: Cole Yeager, Bryn Yeager, Cruz Yeager, and Case Yeager who are continuing the Yeager legacy of excelling in sports. Ray & Phyllis have spent more time attending sporting events than one can count. You could always count on Ray being in the stands to support and cheer for you and keep stats on all your points and times. Ray took great pride in coaching Ty to Ty's success as an Indiana state champion in track hurdles during his senior year of high school and in following Ty's track hurdling career at Indiana University. Ray and Phyllis loved to travel and attended almost every home and away event during Ty's college years.

Ray never planned to be anything other than a rancher, but in June 1964, the worst flood in Montana's recorded history changed the course of his life and the Yeager family ranch. Ray and Phyllis headed to college in the fall of 1964. During college Ray taught the meat skills lab for live butchering that occurred on campus. After hours, Ray and Phyllis worked as a team to cut and package all the remaining meats that were sold to commercial grocery stores. Karla's favorite food was always a New York strip steak cooked to perfection by Ray. Ray graduated from college with an Agricultural Business degree. After college, Ray followed Phyllis to Alaska where she had secured an elementary education teaching job upon graduating college at MSU. Ray became a top salesman for Moore Business Forms but missed Montana. He then secured a job that would allow him to return to Montana where he became a top salesman with Xerox.

Ray and Phyllis worked side by side in business. They started and ran a successful portable outhouse business in Great Falls, Montana, for a decade and then owned/operated a Days Inn motel in southern Indiana from 1983-2004. He enjoyed spending one year ranching on a ranch in which he was in partnership in Montana. He passed on his entrepreneurial spirit to both Karla and Ty. Ty and his wife Jill own/operate a successful business in southern Indiana, and Karla and her husband Mike are self-employed in Big Sky, Montana.

Ray and Phyllis reached their goal of having traveled to all 50 states by age 50. Ray was always up for an adventure whether by road, by air, by horseback, boat or afoot. If he wasn't driving, he was flying. He was a private pilot and owned 3 different small aircraft over the years. He loved taking people for short rides, surprising them with his famous barrel roll he’d learned to do in his Grumman. He achieved his goal of having an instrument rating and loved flying his Mooney and taking people over the Bob Marshal Wilderness or whatever they wanted to see or go. He said he felt close to God in the sky. Travels took Ray to Kenya, Africa for a 3 week horseback only safari and he rode in the Big Bend State Park longhorn roundup in Texas with noted photographer Brent Phelps who rode Ray’s horse Bandit and used another of Ray’s horses to pack his camera equipment. Ray was thrilled to win a lottery chance to enable him to ride his favorite horse Bandit in the South Dakota Buffalo Roundup.

Ray and Phyllis traveled the Lewis and Clark trail from 2003-2006 attending many bicentennial commemorative events coast to coast from Monticello to Astoria. Ray also traveled the same routes of Lewis and Clark along the White Cliffs of the Missouri River by horseback and canoe serving as a guide to Texas photographer, Brent Phelps, documenting the sites of the Lewis and Clark journals. Of course, he had to fly Phyllis through the White Cliffs rippling the waters of the Missouri River below them. Ray supported Phyllis (known by many as Mrs. Lewis and Clark) in all her endeavors.

Ray was always a thrill seeker, up for any adventure. Every winter while his children were young, Ray would take Karla and Ty skiing every day of their winter break. And summers were for boating. Karla & Ty were taught to water ski on the cold waters of the mighty Missouri River of Montana. The family spent many boating days at Whitefish Lake in Montana, and the later years at Taylorsville Lake in Kentucky. Ray's passion for being active was infectious and he passed on his love of the outdoors to his daughter Karla. Karla resides in Montana and enjoys all the activities learned in childhood from her dad. Ray enjoyed seeing all her photos, knowing he could take credit for getting her hooked. Ray cherished his hike to Grinnell Glacier with Karla just before his 60th birthday and riding horses with her along the Chinese Wall of the Continental Divide. Karla, Mike, Ty, Jill, Cole, Bryn, Cruz and Case were able to give Ray and Phyllis the trip of their lifetime to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in Montana in 2023. During this time, they visited the ranch Ray grew up on in Montana, attended a rodeo, met their Yeager relatives, went boating, horseback riding, took a side-by-side adventure, hiked in Yellowstone National Park and visited longtime friends and family.

Ray was a man of faith, but his body was failing him in his last few years. So, although his family will miss him beyond words, we know he is with God and can see and hear again in a body that is healed.

Ray believed that he completed God’s plan for his life. Many generations of Yeagers were born and died in Indiana. Both his great grandfather and great-great grandfather were born in Indiana and are buried in Choteau, Montana. He believed that each season of life serves a purpose ordained by His greater plan. Ray has now fulfilled God’s plan for his circle of life.

Ray requested no service, but a commemoration of life to be held in Choteau, Montana at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations may by sent to Choteau High School, Athletic Department, 204 7th Ave NW, Choteau, MT 59422 in memory of Ray Yeager.