Obituary: Walter Jacob
Walter Luder Jacob, 91, a lifelong sportsman, U.S. Marine, husband, father and friend, died Feb. 4 at his home of 30 years in Tequesta, Fla.
Jacob leaves his wife of 14 years, Dianne (Fox) Jacob; his daughter, Barbara Lee Jacob; his stepson, James Bates; grandchildren Sunny Marie Williams and Damon Bates; and his faithful dog Beau. Walt’s first wife, Helen Jane (Traller) Jacob, passed in 2000.
Born in New York City and raised in Mount Kisco, Jacob was the only child of Wilhelm and Frieda Jacob, who emigrated from Germany in the early 1920s. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943 and served for four years. He returned to his last duty station in Keflavik a year later as a civilian search and rescue specialist where he met and married his first wife, Helen, who was a civilian nurse flying the “Connie.” They returned to the states in 1949 and bought a home in North Salem in 1951, where they lived for 35 years.
After serving with the U.S. Department of Defense, Jacob earned his pilot’s license, but Helen was insistent that if he wanted a family he needed to be “home.” In 1955, Jacob bought into and became the vice president of C.J. Daum Sporting Goods in Mount Kisco, and in 1973, he bought the company.
The sporting goods retail community served him well. A superior marksman, fisherman and outdoor enthusiast, Jacob promoted the company for hunting and fishing and expanded it to support skiing, tennis and school sports. His enthusiasm for the outdoors was infectious and the business prospered. Jacob became a conservation warden for Westchester County and studied to become a national ski patrolman, earning the coveted NSP #3309.
In the late 1970s, Jacob became a North Salem councilman and served the community until he and Helen moved to Florida in 1986. He was active in the Tequesta Country Club Community and was the driving force behind updating the boat launch on River Drive and building two community parks.
After Helen’s passing, he met and married Dianne L. Fox of Palm Beach Gardens in 2002. Dianne is a real estate professional. They enjoyed entertaining family and friends, travel and dog Beau.
Services will be held on Feb. 23 at Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home in Jupiter, Fla. Flowers or donations to the Alzheimer’s Association in Jacob’s name is equally appreciated.
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