Joe Yeager Jr., a prominent New Orleans developer and hotelier, died at a North Shore hospital from injuries sustained in an accident a few days ago, a family friend and business associate said.
Details of the accident were not immediately available, but Yeager, 77, suffered multiple fractures and was hospitalized for several days before dying Sunday morning, according to Mike Sherman, a longtime land project consultant to Yeager.
Yeager, who sometimes referred to himself as the “Plumber of the 9th District,” began his humble life in New Orleans and grew into the owner of the largest hotel group in the New Orleans metropolitan area, with more than 20 hotels, including boutique properties like the Jean Hotel and the Bourbon Orleans Hotel.
He is survived by his wife, Becky, and sons Joey, 59, Ryan and Mike, both 51. His son Todd preceded him in death.
“He took great pride in the thousands of team members in his construction, real estate and hospitality companies. To Joe, these team members were part of his extended family and he loved them,” Sherman's family said in a statement released Sunday.
A self-described workaholic, Jaeger has partnered with many other major developers over the years and supported dozens of charities and politicians from all walks of life.
Fellow developer and frequent collaborator Darryl Berger said Sunday that he would miss Yeager. “Joe Yeager was one of the nicest people I've ever met, a great citizen and a great friend and partner,” he said in a text message. “This is a great loss for our entire community.”
Donald “Boysie” Bollinger, who worked with Yeager for many years at the New Orleans chapter of the international charity Young Presidents Organization, said the news was a blow.
“He's a good friend. I'm shocked,” he said. “Life is too short sometimes. I'm still trying to digest it all.”
Yeager's rise is a Horatio Alger story of success through hard work and clever business strategies. A graduate of Holy Cross, Yeager dropped out of Southeastern Louisiana University after a few semesters in the 1950s and began working full time as an apprentice plumber. A self-confessed workaholic, Yeager quickly rose through the ranks at Mechanical Construction Co., working his way up to management and eventually buying the company in the 1980s.
Over the years, Jaeger's interests expanded from construction and building materials to large-scale development and renovation, starting with residential properties and then moving to larger projects including hotels, plantations and resorts.
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