Maria Katharina Kotte Yackiel, 85, entered into eternal life Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, after long and difficult chronic illnesses.
Born Jan. 3, 1935, in Haltern, Germany, she was the daughter of the late Franz and Agnes van Kell Kotte. She immigrated to the United States in 1952 at the age of 17, and joined her Aunt Gertrude Koenig in Ghent, N.Y.
After graduating from Chatham High School, Ria attended the Pittsfield Nursing Program and became a registered nurse. She was proud to become a U.S. citizen in 1957.
Ria joined the United States Air Force in 1958 as a lieutenant, and was stationed with the 93rd Bombardment Wing at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. While there, she met and married her husband, Capt. Thomas F. Yackiel, in 1960. Throughout her husbandâs 24-year military career, she was an outstanding wife and mother. During this time, she coached girls softball and took her boys to baseball. She went roller skating, skiing, fishing, bowling and swimming with her children. S
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