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, and Ryan and Mike, both 51.
A graduate of Holy Cross, he dropped out of Southeastern Louisiana University after a few semesters in the 1950s to begin working full time as a plumber’s apprentice. A self-confessed workaholic, he rose through the ranks at Mechanical Construction Co., taking on management roles and eventually buying the company in the 1980s.
Over the years, Yeager has expanded its interests from construction and building materials to large-scale development projects.
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