John Lee Jaeger

John Lee Jaeger, 79, of Davilla died suddenly Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, at his home.

Services wi ll be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Thorndale with Pastor Schaller and Pastor Doria officiating. Burial will follow at St. Paul Cemetery.

The family will receive visitors Saturday, Feb. 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Phillips & Luckey Funeral Home in Rockdale.

John was born Aug. 6, 1944, in Houston, to J.W. and Irene Jaeger.

He served in the U.S. Navy, was a lifelong rancher and retired from Texas Utilities.

He loved going to his house at the coast with friends and family and going saltwater fishing.

He supported the youth rodeo and the New Braunfels Jr. Sherriff’s Posse with their roping and riding. In 1979, he and Mack McCormick worked with the Texas Parks & Wildlife biologists, in securing the signatures of 10,000 acres of Milam County landowners to reintroduce whitetail and turkeys back into Milam County.

He was a member of San Andes Mason lodge No. 170. He also volunteered with Aransas Pass Lodge 1080 for their annual shrimporee.

Johnny loved hunting and he found joy in allowing the special ones to hunt with him. He processed all of his own meat and taught many that lifelong skill. He made the best sausage and kept the recipe in secret black book.

He loved to watch his kids and grandkids play sports and attend their extracurricular activities. He was known for his nicknames and teasing his grandkids.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sons Jimmy and Jerry Jaeger; sister Kathy Edge and brother-in-law Rodger Edge; father-in-law Albert Schlather; and mother-in-law Ester Schlather.

Sur vivors are his wife, Joyce Jaeger; daughter Jennifer Ramirez and husband Aaron; bonus son, Tommy McCormick and wife Ashley; grandchildren Chelsea Christ and husband Caleb, JR Christ, Nicholas and Alayna Ramirez, MaKayla and RaeAnn McCormick, and Jacob Hash; brother David Jaeger; sister Cecelia Robinson and husband Albert; and brother-in-law Albert Schlather and wife Beverly; also, numerous, nieces, nephews and friends.