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Kerwin W. "Jake" Jacobs
1920 ~ 2014
Jake Jacobs died peacefully of natural causes on January 7, 2014, in the company of his wife, Ruth and daughter, Janice. Jake spent his boyhood in rural upstate New York. He attended a year old college, before deciding to enter the military at age 22, eventually serving a total of 23 years. He became a Marine bomber pilot and fought in the South Pacific during WWII. As a Marine pilot, his flying missions started and ended on the deck of an aircraft carrier. Once, his plane was shot down over the Philippines and he was rescued by Filipino natives and hidden from the Japanese until he could be secretly taken to an American military unit. After WWII, he trained to be a helicopter pilot and during the Korean conflict was stationed in both Japan and Korea. He served as an air traffic controller. He left active duty with the Marine Crops and went back to college getting both bachelor's and master's degrees. Jake chose to be a high school math teacher in Tustin, CA. He finished out his military career in the Coast Guard reserve.
As a Marine after WWII, Jake met and married Ruth, a pretty army nurse. He and Ruth raised a family in Southern California. In 1976, he was diagnosed with acute leukemia, a condition that had only a 3% survival rate at that time. He had a severe reaction to the chemotherapy which landed him in ICU, unconscious, hooked-up to multiple machines, and his family was told he would not survive. But Jake was one tough Marine and with the determined efforts of an excellent medical team, he pulled through and recovered.
Jake had an adventurous spirit and great curiosity. He enjoyed the outdoors and his family members have wonderful memories of summertime camping trips all across the country. He and Ruth were married for 66 years, and have four children, nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. They lived in Orange County, California, for over forty years before moving to Meridian, Idaho to be near his youngest daughter in 1993. Jake was cheerful and friendly to all who knew him. He had a real zest for life and his natural curiosity, combined with his math and science background, made him a natural teacher to his grandchildren.
A memorial service with military honors will be held in the spring at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. A service notice will follow at that time.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
1 Entry
Kerwin Jacobs...I finally found you. I am the son of Samuel Scheinfeld. the gunner who was shot down with you in WW2. I extend my deep gratitude to you and thank you for your courage and my father's life. He passed away at age 40 in 1963 when I was 10...my deepest sympathy for your family's loss. 7752193239
Mark Scheinfeld
February 5, 2014
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