CHUCK Yeager was not only a legendary pilot, but juggled his work with being father to four children.
But the relationship between Chuck and his children deteriorated in his later years due to vicious financial disagreements.
Yeager had four children with his wife Glennis.
In 1990, Glennis died after two bouts with ovarian cancer. She had
been married to Chuck for 45 years.
After Glennis’ death, Chuck married Victoria Scott D’Angelo, an aspiring actress 36 years her husband’s junior.
His marriage to D’Angelo caused a rift between him and his children in the officer’s latter years.
The disagreement stemmed from Chuck’s children accusing his young new wife of “undue influence” on Yeager.
According to court documents filed, Yeager paid between $65,000 and $100,000 a year in dividends and gifts to each of his children.
He did this for the dozen years before his second marriage.
But the dividends to his children were diverted towards Victoria after they got married.
His four children are Susan, Don, Mickey and Sharon.
His eldest daughter Susan was the the principal plaintiff in legal proceedings.
However, Yeager and his new wife claimed that his children “embarked upon a program whereby they sought to take complete control of Gen. Yeager’s assets.”
In 2008, the California Court of Appeal stating that Susan had breached her duty as trustee.
She was ordered to pay $911,000 back to the family trust.
During the trial, Don Yeager said that he and his siblings were merely trying to protect their birthright.
“We were fine with it,” he said. “We’re not after his money. We just have a birthright. My last name is Yeager. I was raised as Chuck Yeager’s son.
“If they want to go do their thing and Dad never wants to think of us again, it’s a tragedy but it’s his prerogative. But I’ll be damned if I’ll give back what he’s already given us.”
Meanwhile, Susan has accused D’Angelo of being “fraudulent,” “malicious” and “oppressive.”
She filed a lawsuit against Victoria, saying: “Ms. D’Angelo’s larger scheme (is) to alienate Mr. Yeager from his family and acquire his estate for herself.”
But Chuck always stood by his marriage to his new wife.
He said:“The kids didn’t live near,
“They had their own families. I had to solve a problem that would exist as I became older, that nobody was going to take care of me.”
Before he died, Chuck said: “They thought, when I die my money would be gifted out to them,
“When Victoria came into the picture, they knew it wasn’t going to be that way. They saw all this money no longer going to them.”
He added: “It’s not easy to sit here and watch the kids you raised turn on you and become predators”.
