Donald Edward Jacobs' Obituary
Don was born in Mineola New York on March 7th, 1940 to Larry Jacobs ( A reporter for the Washington Post) and Margaret M. Jacobs (A homemaker).
When Don was six his parents divorced, and his mother took him and his older brother Tom to California where she had grown up. The three of them lived in a little house in West Los Angeles. When Don was 12, they moved to Culver City where Don went to junior and senior high school. In the 11th grade Don, who was convinced he was a great artist, was told he should go to college and find a more dependable career. He applied to the US Naval Academy where his brother had just graduated from. Fortunately, he was accepted into the Class of 1963. Don struggled his way through his junior year before he finally learned how to effectively study. His senior year grades were very good.
After graduating, Don went into flying only to find out that he was very uncomfortable doing that and quit the program. He was assigned to an amphibious landing ship in San Diego. He later transferred to a destroyer there and river boats in So. Vietnam. In 1968 Don left active duty with the Navy. He later retired as a Commander in the USN reserves. In late 1968 he went to work at the Central Intelligence Agency in No. Virginia. Initially he was involved in special operations, a carryover from his Vietnam experiences. Fortunately for him a senior officer put him in contact with a new technical program office who hired him. The program was the building and operation of the ship "Glomar Explorer" that was designed to pick up a sunken Soviet submarine in the Pacific Ocean that the US Navy had located. The operation in 1974 was successful. During this time, he met Charlotte Still who also worked at the Agency. In 1973 they were married.
After the Glomar Explorer Program Don worked in the Agency's Directorate of Science and Technology first on the Director's staff then in three offices involved in signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection.
In 1995 he followed his dream and retired the day he turned 55. He and Charlotte had both advanced into the senior officer levels by this time. They moved to the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego.
For 7 years they took care of Don's mother and aunt who lived nearby in Pacific Beach. The ladies both died and after 18 years on the West Coast Don and Charlotte moved to Rehoboth Beach Delaware where they built a cozy one level house. Since then, Don has spent his time largely doing portraits as a hobby. Charlotte is a volunteer at their church and in a couple of community activities.
From his perspective Don believes he has had a wonderful life thanks to God and Charlotte. His spirit of service, artistic talent, and warm presence will be deeply missed but fondly remembered by all who knew him. May his legacy of love and dedication continue to inspire us.
Don is survived by his wife of 51 years, Charlotte Jacobs; a brother (Tom), and a sister (Anne) both living in Hawaii; a sister (Mary) in California; a brother-in-law (John Still) and sister-in-law (Sandra Jofre) in Naples, Italy; a sister-in-law (Sharon) in Dover, DE; and nieces and nephews from the Atlantic to the Pacific!
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association, https://www.usna.com/give in Annapolis MD, or to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 301 King Charles Ave. Rehoboth Beach De. 19971.
A celebration of life will be held on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 3:00 PM, at Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 16961 Kings Highway, Lewes, DE 19958, where friends and family may visit beginning at 2:00 PM.
All those unable to attend the services are invited to join the service via livestreaming by visiting the following link: http://www.parsellfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/permalink/11531291/LTWebcast .
Please sign the virtual guestbook located on the tribute page.
FLORIST NOTE: PLEASE DELIVER ALL ARRANGEMENTS BY 3:00 PM ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2024, TO OUR LEWES LOCATION.
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