William S Yeck

YECK, William S., age 92, died peacefully on Thursday, September 13, 2007 at Hospice of Dayton. Bill was born in Akron, Ohio on October 8, 1914, the son of Augustus and Bertha Yeck. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Dottie, in 2004 and his brother, John D. Yeck. Bill is survived by his sons, Robert A. Yeck, his wife, Cheryl Gordon Yeck and David R. Yeck, his fiancée, Nan E. Cardella. Also, grandchildren, Brian W. Yeck, his fiancée, Kelly Messmore and Kristen M. Yeck, her fiancé, Josh Lee; great grandchildren, Matthew and Reagan and niece, Joanne Yeck and husband, Tom McGreevey and daughter, Zan. Bill was blessed with a full and happy life. He was an exuberant volunteer and mentor. He had an unquenchable craving for knowledge whether it be local history, nature, travel or simply getting to know his friends and co-workers a little better. He had a particular fondness for the outdoors. He and his brother ran a Boy Scout camp in Akron during their summer breaks from Miami University. He was a local Scoutmaster in the late 30’s and early 40’s. When it was time for his sons to begin scouting, he found that the troops did not offer the traditional and meaningful scouting experiences he was familiar with so he started a new troop (and headed it for 6 years) ... camping every month, which included packing everything on your back and walking a mile or two to the campsite. Recently he was greatly involved in the re-development of 4 Eagles Lake at Woodland Trails (a local scouting camp). His love of the open, undeveloped spaces led him to spearhead the Centerville-Washington Park District in the early 50’s and became their first Chairman. He held that position for 14 years and then Secretary/Treasurer for an additional 20 years. Throughout that span, his primary role was that of chief architect of the acquisition program resulting in 43 parks with 893 acres of open space (the largest township park district in Ohio). Even though he had officially “retired” from the park district, he stayed active in developing many innovative projects such as the 100-year path to track the growth from a field to a climax forest (one new section is left uncut each year). He received the Meritorious Service Award from the Ohio Parks & Recreation Association and Friend of Recreation from the National Association of County Parks & Recreation Officials. Bill had “indoor” interests also. When it was time for St. George’s Episcopal Church to move from the bank in Town & Country to its present location, Bill was Chairman of the Building Committee from 1955-60. He served on the Boards for Junior Achievement, Easter Seals, and local zoning commissions and was President of the Dayton Advertising Club in 1949-50. (His brother and eldest son have also held the same position with the Ad Club.) Another great love (for about 30 years) was the local libraries. Dottie was a long-time volunteer and member of the Washington-Centerville library board. He was a “behind-the-scenes” idea man/developer for many initiatives including the Woodbourne Library. They both participated and endowed many innovative youth programs at the church, the library, Dayton Art Institute and Miami University. Additional endowments include the local nature parks and history-oriented projects for Miami University with additional ones to be announced soon. Bill put the same vigor into work as he did his hobbies. He and his brother started a direct mail advertising business in 1938, Yeck Brothers Company. He was the planning and creative genius behind many successful and national award-winning campaigns for clients including: British Airways, Chase Manhattan Bank, CIGNA, General Electric, John Deere, LexisNexis, National City Bank and Pitney Bowes. He remained active and vital in the company until earlier this year. Bill had that natural ability to make people feel good about themselves as he has inspired them through his knowledge and challenges. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, September 18 at 12:00 noon at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 5520 Far Hills Ave, with Rev. Paul St. Germaine officiating. In lieu of flowers, Bill may be remembered with a gift to an organization that supports parks, boy scouts, libraries or the arts. Condolences and other remembrances may be sent to the family by visiting www.routsong.com

Funeral Home:
Kettering Routsong Funeral Home
2100 E. Stroop Rd.
Kettering, OH
US 45429