George David Jacoby Jr.

GEORGE DAVID JACOBY JR. Marion George David Jacoby Jr. (known to many as "Bud"), 86, peacefully passed away Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, at the Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy, surrounded by his family. A private family memorial service will be held at at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Marion. A Celebration of George's Life open to all family and friends, will be held at noon, Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Prairie Hill Pavilion, 5680 Kacena Ave., in Marion. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his honor to either the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) or the Riverside Resort and Casino, or any other casino, via the slot machines. George was born July 7, 1933, in Boone, Iowa, to George Sr. and Nellie Jacoby, one of six siblings. After making the cover of Boy's Life magazine in 1945, George briefly considered a modeling career, but forwent the shot at fame and stayed with his family and friends in Boone. After graduating from Boone High School in 1951, George answered the wartime call to serve the country in the U.S. Army, stationed in Korea during the Korean War. While on active duty, George met the love of his life, Mildred "Millie" (Martinek), and were married on April 20, 1955. After discharge from the Army, George and Millie moved from Arizona to Marion to build their family, ultimately comprised of Dave (Lynette) Jacoby, Ann (Mike Gott) Jacoby, Kevin (Nancy) Jacoby, Dan (Traci) Jacoby, Chris (Fawn) Jacoby and last, but not least, Bob Jacoby. George worked for Sears & Roebucks at Lindale Mall responsible for the warehouse logistics ensuring that the products were properly received, priced and transitioned to the sales floor. In 1990, after 35 years of dedicated service, George retired from Sears to enlighten his burgeoning set of grandchildren. George embarked on a second career working with his youngest son, Bob, at Jacoby Estate Sales in Cedar Rapids. While excelling in multiple capacities, including sign logistics and crowd control, George was best known as the general manager of the Garage Operations for opening day of the sales. His product expertise and superior conflict resolution skills developed deep relationships with the clientele. The Cedar Rapids estate sale patrons will undoubtedly miss George's humor and customer service! Although George was known for the saying "work, work, work, that is all I do, but you don't hear me complaining," he found time to relax by traveling with Millie and family members to Alaska and the United Kingdom, where Prince Charles chose him from a large group to personally shake his hand. He especially enjoyed numerous trips to Kansas City, Las Vegas, California and Arizona to visit his sons and grandchildren. George will be fondly remembered for his sense of humor, unexplainable support of the Minnesota Vikings, reliable accompaniment to casinos, enviable luck with the slot machines, and humorous obsession with all-things aliens and his unverified connection in the Roswell crash. His grandchildren will always treasure the invaluable lessons in checkers, chess and blackjack, memories of his goofiness and sage advice. We all will be watching for a precipitous increase in UFO sightings as he continues to guide us. In addition to his wife and all his children, George is survived by grandchildren, Brenda Freese, Michelle (TJ) Meiners, Kyle Jacoby, Jeremy Jacoby, Matt Jacoby, Ellie Jacoby, Anna Jacoby, Mikayla Jacoby and Ryan Jacoby; and great-grandchildren, Carissa "Squirt" Freese, Camden Meiners and Kayden Meiners. George also leaves behind a trove of nieces and nephews who have enjoyed his company and wisdom during family gatherings and the occasional football team related pranks. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Bob; and sisters, Beverly, Virginia, Betty and Kathy. Dad/Grandpa – We are glad we got to see to you!