Ronald K. Jacobs

Ronald Kaplan Jacobs, Esq., 90, formerly of Manchester, died peacefully on Friday April 14, 2017, surrounded by his loving family at Bellavita Assisted Living in Scarborough, Maine. He was the devoted husband of Ruth (Greenwald) Jacobs for 69 years. They met in Keeney Park shortly after Ron returned from the service. Born in Hartford, he was the exemplary son of James and Fanny (Kaplan) Jacobs. He was a graduate of Weaver High School in Hartford; Trinity College with a B.A. in History; and University of Connecticut Law School, having attended the night program while working days as a claims adjuster for Aetna. He also received an LL.M tax degree from Boston University. He was a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, serving in the South Pacific, and was honorably discharged as a Seaman, First Class. Ronald began his career as a trial lawyer working at a Manchester law firm. He later opened his own general law practice, also in Manchester, employing Ruthie as his secretary. A few years later, at the urging of his cousin Aaron Slitt, Ronnie became a partner in the Hartford law firm of Daddario, Slitt, Jacobs and Sullivan. Ron later oversaw for many decades the final iteration of the firm, Jacobs and Associates, until he retired from the practice of law after more than 60 years in 2015. He was a fervent Zionist and a lifelong member of the Beth Sholom B'nai Israel Synagogue in Manchester. He had a passion for Israel, was a brilliant historian and was often invited to guest lecture at local colleges and houses of worship. He also was an adjunct law professor at Western New England School of Law. A longtime supporter of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, Ron and Ruthie traveled to Israel numerous times, including a trip which he refused to cancel even after the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. He was an absolutely loving and devoted husband, an excellent father, a proud grandfather and great-grandfather. Besides his wife Ruth, he is survived by his daughter Linda Jacobs and her husband Joseph Manning of Cape Elizabeth, Maine; his son David Jacobs and his wife Louise Akillian of Lincoln, Massachusetts; his estranged son Mark; six grandchildren, Samantha, Elizabeth, Stephanie and her husband Aryeh, Rebecca, Alexander and Benjamin; and his great-granddaughter, Adelaide. He also leaves a loving brother, Leonard Jacobs, and a sister he so adored, Barbara Gottesdiener, as well as many nieces and nephews and dear friends. A funeral will be held at Beth Sholom B'nai Israel, "BSBI", 400 Middle Turnpike East, Manchester, CT at 1:00PM on Wednesday April 19 with Rabbi Richard Plavin, Emeritus, officiating and assisted by Rabbi Konigsburg of "BSBI". Interment with full military honors will follow at the Beth Sholom Memorial Park Cemetery, Autumn Street, Manchester. There will be Shiva at the home of Linda Jacobs and Joseph Manning in Cape Elizabeth, Maine on Thursday April 20, from 2-4 and 6-8. Local Shiva observances will be announced at the funeral. Donations in his memory may be made to the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, 333 Bloomfield Avenue, Suite C, West Hartford, CT, 06117. The family expresses its heartfelt appreciation to the staff of Bellavita Assisted Living Facility in Scarborough, Maine and two former companions, Carol Spycher and Agnies Kukula, who so tenderly lent their support during Ruth and Ronnie's final years at their Manchester residence. May Ron's memory be a source of strength and a blessing to us all for it is the rare individual who epitomizes the loyalty, integrity and love for family that Ronnie exemplified during his lifetime. Funeral arrangements provided by Hebrew Funeral Association, West Hartford.