Monroe County Fair celebrity Erv Yoas dies on his 109th birthday
Ervin “Erv” G. Yoas, a World War II veteran and retired Monroe jewelry business owner who won multiple awards for being the oldest man on Senior Citizens Day at the Monroe County Fair, died Saturday on his 109th birthday.
The once longtime Monroe businessman died about 4 p.m. following a brief illness at WellBridge of Pinckney, an assisted-living facility that he moved to about seven years ago.
Friends may call from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Bacarella Funeral Home, Monroe, where services will be at 2 p.m. with pastors Ross Ulrich and Greg Sitzman from Zion Lutheran Church officiating. Burial will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park, LaSalle.
Obituary:Ervin G. Yoas
At his side when he died were his grandson, Dave Sontag, and Sontag's wife, Michelle. Michelle said Yoas was diagnosed with bladder cancer three weeks ago at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Chelsea and the cancer had metastasized into his liver. She said Yoas was aware of the cancer, but didn’t want anyone to know and strived to make it to his next birthday.
“He didn’t want to do any chemo or radiation,” she said Monday. “He was an incredible man. He lived a full life and was ready to meet his Savior. It was such a God moment.”
She described his last month as “peaceful, so beautiful.” She said a few days after he left the hospital, he became bedridden, lost all of his independence and entered hospice care at WellBridge.
Until then, he was still exercising twice a day, bathing himself, checking his emails on his computer and counting down the days until his next birthday.
“He was very competitive and all about hitting a goal,” she said. “We told him he had eight days until his birthday. He saw that goal and said, 'I can make eight days.' The last couple days we weren’t really sure. But he did. I was his go-to person. We’ve always been so close, a sweet connection. He has taken a part of my heart.”
Yoas was a celebrity at the fair, especially on Senior Citizens Day (Wednesday) when he won trophies for being the oldest man present for about nine years in a row, said James B. Miller, a longtime fair board member and master of ceremonies for the senior awards program at the fair. Like Erv, his sister-in-law, Marion Yoas, also has won multiple awards for being the oldest woman at the fair.
“I remember Erv saying at last year’s fair, 'Don’t worry, I’ll be back next year,'" Miller recalled Sunday. “That’s one of the lasting images I have in my mind of Erv. (Another) was this 108-year-old man interacting with his cellphone while waiting for the senior program to begin. He certainly lived a great life.”
Erv Yoas was also a first cousin to Miller’s mother.
Michelle said Erv kept all of his trophies on display at his residence at WellBridge.
“He was very proud of them,” she said. “He was (always) watching his weight and working out twice a day. Quite incredible.”
Both he and Michelle played violin and shared a keen interest in music, she said.
Yoas was born March 25, 1914. According to a biography provided by his family, Yoas graduated in June 1936 from Bradley Polytechnic Institute at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Shortly afterward, he began his career as a jeweler, working as a watchmaker and engraver at Keidan’s Jewelers in Monroe.
Then in 1940, Yoas decided to work for himself and opened Yoas Jewelers in Monroe. Except for the years he served in the military, the store was in business for 34 years.
His WWII service began with an enlistment in August 1942 in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Yoas served as a primary War Training Service flight instructor at a base in Fraser, training Navy V-5 cadets.
In 1946, he returned to the jewelry business at a different location in Monroe. In the meantime, he met his future wife, Elizabeth “Betty” Fountain, at a New Year’s Eve party and they married in June 1946. Betty had two daughters from a previous marriage: Barbara (Sontag), then age 10, and Aurelie, then age 12. Betty worked full time at the new store. “She was a driving force contributing to the success of the business,” the family biography said.
Both Barbara and Marion Yoas survive him.
Despite the Yoases staying busy managing the store, Erv made time to go to the airport and keep up with his interest in aviation. He often reminded family that he was born shortly after the Wright brothers made their historic first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina His other hobbies during his years in Monroe included playing violin in the Monroe Civic Orchestra and baritone horn in the Monroe City Band.
Retirement began in 1974, when Erv and Betty Yoas sold their store to Bruce and Diane Milkins. Betty died in 2002 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Erv remained in Florida until 2016 when he returned to Michigan to live with his grandchildren and then to assisted living. He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Monroe.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County Fair celebrity Erv Yoas dies on his 109th birthday
