J.T. Obituary (1940

John T. "J.T." Jacobson, of Cornell, Illinois, passed away at 5:10am on September 25, 2021 at Evenglow Inn in Pontiac, IL. He was 80 years old. J.T. was born on December 4, 1940 in Streator, Illinois to John E. and Geraldine (Metz) Jacobson. He graduated from Cornell High School in 1958 and then attended Beloit College in Wisconsin where he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in 1962 with majors in mathematics and economics. At Beloit, J.T. was president of "B" Club, captain of the Beloit College football team, and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Upon graduation, J.T. taught math at Belvidere Junior High School where he also coached football, basketball, and track. He then continued his graduate education at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, graduating with a Master's Degree in Economics in 1965. For the next two years, J.T. found himself in the classroom once again, this time teaching economics and statistics at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. On his way to the University of Washington, where he was to pursue his doctoral degree, J.T., now with a wife and a young son, stopped in his hometown of Cornell for a summer job. He never left. Instead of a life in academia, for the next thirty-four years, J.T. worked for the Jacobson Grain Company, a family owned and operated business founded in 1916. Upon retiring in 1999, he then worked until 2013 as a crop insurance adjuster for Country Financial. On the political front, J.T. proudly served from 1984 to 2002 as a Livingston County Board Member, a tenure that included four years as Board Chairman (1998-2002). He also was an active member of the Pontiac Elks Club and the Cornell Lions Club along with being a certified EMT. J.T. loved the outdoors including mowing his lawns, fishing for "fun catch" off of Kodiak Island in Alaska, and, for many years, backpacking and canoeing with his father-in-law, sons, nephews, and friends in Quetico Park in Canada. J.T. will be remembered as a loyal and devoted friend, an avid golfer, an equally avid teaser, and a proud father and grandfather. He was always equipped with a unique but infectious sense of humor and ready to enjoy the simple things in life (like a good martini). Survivors include his former wife, Susie Jacobson of Pontiac; three children, John D. Jacobson (Mary Beth) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Jill Jacobson (Paul Eves) of Kingston, Ontario; Jason Jacobson of Pontiac, Illinois; his daughter-in-law Karen Jacobson of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and his four grandchildren, Sarah and John R. Jacobson of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Kadlin and Audun Eves of Kingston, Ontario. In addition to his parents, J.T. was predeceased by his brother Claude Jacobson and his son Jeffrey Jacobson. A private graveside service will be held. On a date to be determined, a celebration of life will be held for family and J.T.'s many wonderful friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Beloit College Athletic Fund [700 College Street, Beloit, WI 53511] or the Rowe Cemetery.