Alfred Jacobs Jr.

Alfred Jacobs Jr.

 

 

Alfred Jacobs Jr., 95, a resident of Fergus Falls, Minn., passed away Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, at Pioneer Care Center in Fergus Falls. 

Alfred Jacobs was born Aug. 21, 1922 on a farm outside Elgin, Iowa, the son of Alfred and Marie (Miller) Jacob and youngest of five children. 

He attended a one-room schoolhouse near the family home on Bell Creek and later Elgin High School. His love of music and of learning was apparent from an early age. In 1940, he enrolled as a music major at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. 

During World War II, he left college to work on the family farm. He served in the U.S. Army from 1946-48, stationed in Newfoundland, and then returned to Luther, graduating in 1949 with a B.A. in music and minor in English. He was a fine singer and pianist, and proficient in all the wind instruments, with a special love for the oboe.

He graduated from the University of Iowa with an M.A. in music on Aug. 5, 1950, and was married to Christabel Adix on Aug. 13, 1950 at Mansfield Lutheran Church, rural Alden, Minn.

They moved to Dows, Iowa, where he had accepted a position as director of the music program. 

Only a month later, he was called up to active duty as an Army reservist. He served in Japan and Korea as a musician in the Tenth Special Service Company’s production of the all-GI musical variety show, “Take Ten,” which toured on two of Japan’s main islands and on Allied portions of the Korean peninsula.

He returned to his wife, new daughter, and teaching responsibilities at Dows in September 1951. 

In August 1954, the family moved to Fergus Falls, Minn., where he became the city’s first full-time band director. By 1964 he had built the program to five bands with more than 300 students. He taught in Fergus Falls for 30 years, mentoring hundreds of student musicians. Many of his top students earned places in the All-State Band, and some went on to become music teachers themselves. 

While he enjoyed a good Sousa march, his real love was classical music, and his band programs always included symphonic pieces. The citation for his 2003 induction into the Fergus Falls Hall of Fame for Distinguished Service observed: “Jacobs’ goal was to expose his students to fine music, to foster appreciation for music, and to challenge students to achieve their potential. Jacobs’ instruction had a lifelong impact on students, many of whom say their experience in band was the highlight of their school years."

Alfred was very involved in his church, community, and profession. He directed the Orphean Male Chorus for three years, sang with (and for a short while directed) the First Lutheran Senior Choir, played and sang in many productions at the Community College, and played oboe in the Civic Orchestra and clarinet in the Carlisle Band well into his retirement. He played in the Heart of the Lakes Band – Battle Lake until the age of 90. 

He served on the board of the Fergus Falls Concert Association from 1955-2011. A member of the American School Band Directors Association, he judged many district, regional, and state music contests in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Iowa, and he served on the statewide committee that developed standards for music education. 

At First Lutheran Church, he was a member of the Property and P.A. committees for many years, built storerooms, and applied many gallons of paint and varnish to keep the building looking beautiful. 

After Alfred’s retirement in 1984, he and Christabel enjoyed the freedom to travel, with extensive road trips in the U.S. as well as trips to Switzerland, Spain, and Eastern Europe. 

For 20 years, he maintained a home business restoring antique furniture (including re-caning chairs), and he continued to provide private lessons to advanced students on the flute and oboe. 

Alfred was a keen flower gardener with a particular fondness for geraniums, and a voracious reader who devoured many volumes of biography, political commentary, popular science, and history (especially military history) at the rate of a book every week or two. His intellectual curiosity, quick wit, and love of puns were evident even in his final days.

Besides his wife, Christabel, he is survived by children Sharon (Gary) Nathan of Hayward, Wis., Dr. Naomi Jacobs (Dr. Nathan Stormer) of Bangor, Maine, Bruce Jacobs (Dr. Ann Jennen) of St. Paul, Minn., and Ramona Jacobs (Chuck Christianson) of Fergus Falls; grandchildren Sarah (Andrew) Bailey of Lincoln, Neb., and Nicole Nathan (Chas Kadlec) of Hayward, Wis.; great-grandchildren Nathan and Jacob Bailey of Lincoln, Neb., and many nephews and nieces. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alfred and Marie; brothers Lloyd and Leon Jacob; and sisters Lillian Schroeder and Betty Schaer.

Memorial donations may be directed to the FF Band Boosters, PO Box 115, Fergus Falls, MN 56537 (Al Jacobs Band Camp Scholarship in memo line); to the Organ Renovation Fund, First Lutheran Church, 402 S. Court Street, Fergus Falls, MN 56537; or to a charity of the giver’s choice.

A celebration of Alfred’s life will be held on the afternoon of June 10, 2018, at First Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls. 

Condolences and memories may be shared at http://www.olsonfuneralhome.com/m/obituaries/Alfred-Jacobs/Memories.

Assistance is being provided by Olson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls.

Online condolences may be sent to www.OlsonFuneralHome.com.                 10p10 

 

Rate this article: 
No votes yet
Comment Here