This online memorial was created in loving memory of Jacob Yeates, whose life story is told throughout this memorial website. Please sign Jacob's guest book and let us know you came to visit. We will remember Jacob forever. Jake was 17 when he was hit head on by someone passing on a blind hill in a no passing zone in Missouri. He was a Junior at Ava High School. We had just moved to Ava, Missouri this last summer and he was really loving his new live here. He had been driving his 1972 Nova at the local drag stip this last fall and took first place in the trophy class 2 out of the 4 times that he ran his car. He was very proud of his car and did the majority of his work on his car with the help of his dad Steve and brother Lee. He was on the football team at Ava High School this last year and was really looking forward to his senior year at Ava High School. He talked about how good they were going to be next year. Jake was born Sept 17, 1989 in Phoenix, Arizona. He lived in the Phoenix area until he was 8. He had a best friend Ryan Short that he did most everything with while he lived in Peoria. They really liked to ride bikes and dream about being 'big'. Jake went to church at Sunrise Mountain Baptist Church and accepted Jesus Christ into his life at the age of 6. Jake loved his sports. He played basketball, baseball and football. He loved his hunting. He was successful at his hunting with a mule deer and a bull elk. He shot his bull elk with his bow. He most of all loved to work on his car, talk about cars, race his car, go to car shows. He really loved his '72 Nova and was very proud of it. He was working on restoring it.

The thing that most people remember about Jacob is that he was so loving and such a good friend to so many people that he met. He was very quick to lend a helping hand to anyone that needed help. When he saw someone down, he was quick to try and pick their spirits up. When others were not getting along he was trying to mend it if he could. If only we could all share a little of Jake with those that we meet. We found out that Jake had been helping out many different kids with many different needs over the years. He had been buying dinner for someone after their game when they didn't have money for dinner. He had been carrying extra coats in his car in case someone was cold and didn't have a coat to wear. He would fix peoples cars. Many different ways he was helping. To carry on Jake's way he treated others, we have started a Jake Yeates Memorial Fund to help kids at the Ava School District. This fund is used to help kids in the school district that have a need that the teachers or social worker recognize. It could be shoes so they can participate in a sport, winter clothes, materials for school, money to attend field trips, money for graduation supplies. Just what ever the teachers or social worker finds that a child needs to be able to participte or do that a fincinal need has limited them from doing. Since starting this fund at Ava School Disctrict we have found that the need is at many more schools and would like to expand this fund to other school districts. We are starting a non-profit organization the Jacob Yeates Foundation. This will allow scholorship money to be spread out to other schools to setup Jake Yeates funds at their schools. We are going to be having a fund raiser 'Jacob Yeates Memorial Race' at Ozark International Raceway in April 26, 2008. We had originally planned it for Sept 2007 but have moved it to April to allow us to plan it better. We have set up a web page at www.4jake.org to give more details about the race and the Jacob Yeates Foundation.

Jake's Car Spring 2009

Update: Spring 2008 –