Jack Yazer Dies At 102
Cape Breton has lost one of its most highly respected residents and businessmen. Jack Yazer died in Sydney on Wednesday. Yazer came to Cape Breton from Poland in the 1920’s carrying 25 cents and speaking almost no English. He and his brother, Mendle, pursued a number of entrepreneurial ventures before going on to open Yazer Brothers Mens’ Clothing Store on Charlotte Street, an iconic downtown staple that Jack Yazer managed until he sold the store in 1976. Yazer was also known for his role in numerous community initiatives, having been the founding chairman of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation, the former President of the Childrens’ Aid Society of Cape Breton and the founder of Youth Speaks Up—a program designed to help disadvantaged youth. He and his wife, Zelda, raised four children. Zelda died in 2010, and her son, Brendan, died in 2013. Yazer is survived by his son, Harold, and his daughters, Celia and Karin. He was 102.