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John
Yergler
January 24,
1947 - December 3, 2012
CLICK HERE
to view John's obituary |
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Memories of John
Yergler
by Mike Lednovich
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On a bright South California day in late August
2010, I was pleasantly surprised by an email from an
old classmate, John Yergler.
John and I had grown
up in adjacent neighborhoods -- Melrose Park and
Plantation -- and first met at Parkway Junior High.
We played a lot of summer baseball at the PAL fields
and Major League Baseball via a board game called
APBA.
Like most of us, I lost track of John after
high school graduation but his email connected us
once again 45 years later.
John was still playing
actively baseball in his 60s. He resided in Fishers,
Ind., near Indianapolis and had retired after 26
years with Eli Lilly and Co. His baseball league was
an 1886 style game with vintage uniforms and gloves.
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John was still
actively playing baseball in his 60s. He resided
in Fishers, Ind., near Indianapolis and had retired
after 26 years with Eli Lilly and Co. His baseball
league was an 1886 style game with vintage uniforms and
gloves.
I was tickled when he wrote, "the distance
between the bases haven't changed, but I swear they get
longer as each year passes."
He was also still
playing APBA the hard way, with dice and paper/pencil
even though the game was now computer automated.
I also learned that John had been battling lung cancer
even though he had never smoked. An email from John in
2011 announced he was cancer free and on the way to full
recovery. Then I didn't hear from him. I was shocked to
learn of his passing given his last email.
John
married Margaret (Peggy) Bistline (SHS '66) in 1966. He
graduated from Florida Atlantic University and began a
teaching career in Indiana.
He went back to
school, Purdue, and got his Masters in plant genetics in
1980. Then joined Eli Lilly.
John later started his
own consulting practice and traveled to Canada, China
and the UK.
I'll always remember John as one of
the 'good guys' growing up and a class act. I don't
think I ever heard a negative word come out of his
mouth. He was a graceful athlete and had a talent for
music.
RIP in John and hope your playing in "The
Field of Dreams."
Submitted by Mike Lednovich December 10, 2012 |
If you have memories of John you would like
to share, please contact the webmaster:
graham@stranahan65.com
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