Joseph Lewis Jacobs of Richfield passed away at his home on July 4, 2012.
Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, July 7th, 10:30 AM at
St. Richard’s Catholic Church, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield, MN 55423
with visitation at the church 1 hour prior to services.
Interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Joseph Lewis Jacobs was born in Duluth, MN to Clarence and Clara Jacobs. He grew up in south Minneapolis, and attended Incarnation Catholic School; he was a member of the first graduating class of Benilde/St. Margaret.
He was introduced to the love of fishing by his beloved grandfather Julius Dahl and spent many summers with his family on annual family fishing trips to Lake of the Woods in Rainy River, Ontario.
Enlisting in the Unites States Naval Reserves, he spent five years, as an air traffic controller. Returning from the service, he started working for TCF Bank where he began his career in computers. The majority of his career years were spent as a systems engineer for Saunders and Harris Data Communications. In later years Lew took on a second career as a remodeling contractor.
On May 8, 1961 Lew married his high school sweetheart, Mary Harte at Christ the King Catholic Church in Minneapolis. They were married by her uncle Father Jim Harte. They were blessed with two children, Michael and Eileen. Continuing on his childhood tradition, the family enjoyed traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada with an annual fishing trip to Lake of the Woods and Florida in the winter. Four generations of family and friends have enjoyed the fishing excursions to Lake of the Woods. Even though Lew grew up in Duluth he hated the long Minnesota winters and he and Mary started spending winters in Texas.
He loved the outdoors, and enjoyed the many trips fishing and hunting to Alaska, east coast, Lake of the Woods, Montana and recently deep sea fishing at Padre Island. A love for sports throughout his life, Lew played softball, and coached Eileen his young daughter in softball. He enjoyed sports especially watching and attending the Minnesota Vikings and Twins games. Lew enjoyed hobbies of coin and stamp collecting. He had a tremendous love of music and attended concerts of all types of music.
A beloved son, husband, dad, and grandpa, he was energetic, determined, stoic and very level headed. A hero and friend too many, Lew will be missed for truly enjoying life. A resident of Richfield, he passed away peacefully in the presence of family, at his home the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 4, 2012.
Forever loved, he will be deeply missed by wife, Mary; son, Michael (Maureen) Jacobs of Bloomington; daughter, Eileen (Stephen) Kielblock of Prior Lake; grandchildren, Caitlin, Alec, Austen Kielblock; father, Clarence Jacobs of Edina; many other loving relatives and friends.
Lew is preceded in death by his mother, Clara and infant brother.
Pall bearers will be Mike Jacobs, Stephen Kielblock, Alec Kielblock, Austen Kielblock, John Nolan, Matt Nolan, Kevin Harte and Hank Vogelgesang.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be on Saturday, July 7, 2012 at 10:30 am, with visitation one hour prior all at St. Richards Catholic Church 7540 Penn Avenue South, Minneapolis. Father Kevin M. McDonough will officiate. Lew will be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, with full military honors provided by the Fort Snelling National Cemetery Volunteer Rifle Squad.
Memorials are preferred and will be distributed in his memory by the family.
The Jacobs family is served with honor, care and compassion by Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home, Prior Lake Chapel.
