Verna Joann Jacobs died on May 16, 2025, when she was just 89 years old. She left behind two children, David (Rita) Jacobs of Morton, Illinois, and Dr. Christine (Donald) Buehler of Peoria, Illinois, as well as her husband, August (Jake) Jacobs. Verna has one great-grandchild, who lovingly calls her Gigi, and two granddaughters, Emily (Sergio) Rivera of Morton, Illinois, and Anna (Kevin) Noel of Woodstock, Georgia. Albert and Antoinette (Eising) Blaesing welcomed Verna into the world in Quincy, Illinois, on July 3, 1935. She died before her two brothers, Paul and Al Blaesing.
The 15-acre farm east of Quincy was bought by Verna’s parents when she was three years old. The family home was constructed by Verna’s father, uncles, and two elder brothers prior to Paul and Al’s safe return from World War II. She raised her own family and lived a happy life in her house. Grandchildren, grand-dogs, nieces, nephews, neighborhood kids, and church choir kids all enjoyed visiting the family farm.
For more than 50 years, Verna served as the youth choir director and organist at St. Joseph Catholic Church, where she and her husband, Jake, generously donated their time and skills to the families. It was a wonder to witness her ability to inspire parishioners of all ages to join in song prior to Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM. In addition to teaching religion to eighth graders, Verna and Jake urged them to critically examine and question their beliefs and their role within them. Verna was able to plan and distribute seasonal advertisements for church events as well as write and produce the weekly bulletin thanks to her organizational skills. We frequently hosted mass at our house and hosted dinners at our family table for Franciscan priests and seminarians. Since church and family were one, there was no hierarchy between them.
At first, Verna risked everything to go to a one-room schoolhouse every day. She met the buddy whose family she would maintain for life at Notre Dame High School after graduating from St. Rose Catholic Grade School. After graduating from John Wood Community College, she worked as a legal secretary and then as a bookkeeper for a number of Quincy companies. Up until her retirement at age 86, she relished her job as a personal assistant. She was a keen financial investor, an enthusiastic reader, and a volunteer at several community groups. She had boundless energy, a contagious smile, and unfailing character. She started taking piano lessons when she was seven years old, and she has played the instrument and piano throughout her life, performing at church services, high school music competitions, and masses at Quincy senior living facilities. She courageously escorted orchestra and school bus trips to Chicago and Washington, D.C. Her chocolate chip cookies created enduring memories and connections.
At home, Verna tended to a 2-acre garden and grove of fruit trees, canning their bounty. Regular care of cows, chickens, and occasionally sheep and homing pigeons was required on the family farm. She reared two children, took care of both elderly parents and numerous elderly relatives, and fostered the neighborhood kids who joined our family. While running a tight ship, she always took a break to prepare lemonade and bake brownies for the neighborhood kids who were sitting on the family room carpet in their wet swimsuits after a dip in the pond. Since job and family were one, there was no hierarchy between them.
On June 11, 1960, Verna and Jake were married at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. They fell in love on a riverboat after meeting through mutual friends. Their devotion to one another was unquestioning, and their love was blind (and occasionally deaf). She continued to make friends, go to chair yoga, and play the piano accompaniment for a resident choir while she and Jake lived in Lutheran Hillside Village throughout her retirement years.
On Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 11:00, we will celebrate her funeral service at St. Francis Catholic Church in Quincy, Illinois. An hour before the mass, we will have a church visitation. Her family will have a graveside service at Calvary Cemetery. Additionally, on Friday, May 30 at 9:00 AM, Lutheran Hillside Village in Peoria, Illinois, will hold a memorial ceremony in their chapel.
Donations should be sent to Lutheran Hillside Village, 6901 North Galena Road, Peoria, Illinois 61614, or St. Francis Solanus Catholic Church, 1721 College Ave., Quincy, Illinois 62301.
