James (Jim) Herbert Jacobson

Jim was born to Mary and Herbert Jacobson on July 4th, 1937, in Faith, South Dakota. They moved to Alvadore Oregon before Jim turned two. His dad built an auto repair business and Jim learned all about cars and fixing them. After graduation from Willamette High School, Jim served in the National Guard and took a job at Lane Parts in Eugene. It was during this period that he met the love of his life and married Gloria McAdams in 1959. They honeymooned in San Francisco.It was the first place they had ever seen pizza but were too afraid to try it. They adopted their first son, Ron, in 1962. A couple of years later, Jim joined his dad at the Alvadore Garage.They adopted their second son, Dan, in 1967. Jim continued to run the garage business by himself after his father’s passing in 1971. Jim was known by many in Alvadore as a man who worked long hours but still found time to help out his friends. When not working, he applied himself to maintaining the orchards around his home, the garage and his mother’s home. In his spare time, he enjoyed flying an airplane he co-owned with a friend, fishing, hunting, and white-water rafting with family.

In his early 50s, Jim closed the garage business and took a position as the head of maintenance with Western Graphics, a poster manufacturer in Eugene. He enjoyed the work and the many people he met there. He took joy in opening the plant every morning, having coffee ready for the workers before they arrived. He used his extensive metal working skills to design and create components for the machines andother items to improve the productivity in the plant.

In retirement, Jim turned his eye toward maintaining the yard and managing a well put together vegetable garden. He would always try to send you home with some of his large Walla Walla onions. He continued to enjoy the outdoors by volunteering with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at the Fern Ridge Wildlife area.

The last several years of his life turned into a labor of love helping his wife Gloria through some challenging changes in her health. He did this while his own health was deteriorating. He learned to take care of the house, cleaning, and cooking for the two of them. Peanut butter cookies became a regular item in the home that everyone who visited looked forward to.

Jim died peacefully in his home on the morning of February 15th at the age of 87. He is survived by his sons Ron and Dan, their wives, four grandchildren, two great grandchildren and his sisters Carolyn Dunham and Marylee Miller. A memorial service will be held at the Alvadore Christian Church on Sunday the 2nd of March at 1:00 pm.