aka Bob, Jake
February 2, 1933 -- August 20, 2014
Known as an incredibly smart, principled and kind man, Jake enjoyed having a full house and entertaining family and friends from near and far, many of whom he had met during his world travels.
A 40-year resident of Queen Anne Hill, he was a well-liked coach for the Queen Anne Little League and also volunteered as a neighborhood preservationist.
A great conversationalist, he had wide-ranging interests and an open mind along with an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball, movies, politics and history.
Serving as his family's living "Google," he was always able to accurately provide a name, date or interesting fact. Appreciating good jazz and a clever pun, he was famous for his sense of humor and for making an amazing Ramos Fizz.
During his retirement Jake could be found enjoying a cup of coffee at neighborhood coffee shops while doing the NY Times crossword puzzle in ink or out in his yard chatting with neighbors.
Recently, the word "gentleman" has been used by many to describe him. The trace of a smile and raised eyebrows would be his response to that!
Born in San Francisco, Jake moved to Capitol Hill in Seattle in 1939, where he attended Stevens Grade School and Broadway and Garfield High Schools, graduating in 1950.
After receiving his B.A. in history at the University of Washington in 1954, Jake served in the U.S. Air Force for two years, especially enjoying his station in Japan.
He returned to San Francisco to begin his career in news, working at the San Leandro Daily News, Berkeley Gazette, and the SF Examiner sports department, eventually moving into television news.
He married Dawn in 1963 and three years later his son Matthew was born.
The family moved to Detroit where his daughter Cara was born, and Jake continued his work in TV as a news director, later becoming press secretary to a U.S. Senate candidate in New Jersey.
In 1971 the family headed east where Jake joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in New York City as regional public affairs director.
Three years later the family relocated to Queen Anne Hill in Seattle where he continued his career with EPA until his retirement on the last day of 1999.
He died due to complications related to congestive heart failure. Per his wishes, there will be no memorial service. The family will hold a celebration of his life at a later date.
What you leave behind is what is woven into the hearts of others. He was THE BEST!