Jamane Lewis Yeager was born in Kinston, North Carolina, and graduated from recently integrated Kinston High School. In 1974, Yeager enlisted in the United States Air Force to support her young son. She attended basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, then was assigned as a clerical assistant to the budget and management office at Caswell Air Force Base outside of Fort Worth, Texas. While there, Yeager served in the honor guard and met her husband John.
After a year and a half, Yeager switched to the air force reserve to maintain custody of her son. Yeager moved to Kentucky with John and enrolled at Jefferson Community and Technical College in Louisville. The couple eventually settled in Reidsville, North Carolina.
