Charles J Jacoby

August 14, 1931 – June 28, 2023

Charles J Jacoby, passed peacefully in his home on June 28th at the age of 91. He was surrounded by his wife and children who lovingly cared for him in his final days.

Better known as Charlie to his family and Jake or Chuck to his friends, he entered this world in 1931—a few years into the Great Depression. He was the oldest child of Ansal Willard & Irene Cornelia and had two siblings, Kathleen and James, who have all preceded him in death.

Near the beginning of World War II, the Jacoby family moved from Percy, Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri, where Ansal went to work in a factory supporting the war effort. Charlie and his dad often rode the streetcar – Charlie to Sportsman's Park to catch the St. Louis Browns and enjoy a few beers. Charlie became a lifelong fan of baseball, and beer!

On September 28, 1951, at the age of 20, Charlie enlisted in the Marines and was stationed at Camp Pendleton for boot camp and then shipped overseas to join the Korean War. His duty assignment involved monitoring the DMZ as a forward observer and advising and fighting alongside the Korean Marines. At the war's end, he was honorably discharged at the rank of Sergeant.

After returning stateside, Charlie wed in 1958 and had five children: Christine (Jeffrey) Morgan, Karin Jacoby, Stacey (Richard) Dannegger, Jon Jacoby Wachter (Jill Dixon), and Sara Layman. He later met and wed his wonderful wife Sue Ann who was faithfully by his side for 44 years and brought three more children into his life: Lewis (Charlotte) Greenhagen, Elizabeth (Craig) Nathanson, Linda Sayre (Stewart Cohn). His family continued to grow and now has nearly 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Charlie was known for having an adventurous spirit, being fun-loving, and fully engaged. He liked traveling, playing games, barbecuing, and lots of good food with family and friends. Charlie drove grocery delivery trucks for many years, a job he thoroughly enjoyed, and was quite proud to have more than 1 million accident-free miles when he retired from National Foods in 1995.

Charlie was a life-long learner—forever following the news, sharing articles of interest, encouraging us to be smart, strong, kind, tolerant and supportive of one another. He was incredibly proud of his family, and his love for them was strong and unfailing. He had a bright twinkle in his sparkling blue eyes, laughed often, and always had a cheerful greeting. And, in his own words, "had a good life!"

In lieu of sending flowers, the family requests you consider making a donation to Disabled American Veterans (www.dav.org) , one of the several veteran's organizations Charlie supported for many years.