William Howard "Jake" Jacobs
December 16, 1974 ~ August 23, 2023
Born in:
Newark, Ohio
Resided in:
Pueblo, Colorado
1SG William Howard “Jake” Jacobs, US Army Retired, departed this life on August 23, 2023, at the age of 48. He is survived by his daughter, Suniva; mother, Susan Jacobs; father, William Jacobs; sister, Julie Jacobs Cole (Nicholos); and numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends. Predeceased by his sister, Mollie.
Jake was born in Newark, Ohio on December 16, 1974. The family moved to Pueblo, Colorado shortly afterward. He enjoyed playing all sports during his youth, but his great love was basketball. After graduating from East HS, and attending Wilmington College in Ohio, he enlisted in the Army in 1997.
Jake was a devoted father, son, and brother. He dedicated a full career of 23 years to the United States Army, serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and received numerous awards, most notably The Bronze Star. He finished his service as a Military Science Instructor at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio where he retired as 1SG. He had a tremendous influence on many young men and women throughout his career. As a retired veteran, Jake enjoyed barbecuing on his Big Green Egg, cooking for family and friends, and especially spending time with his daughter who was his pride and joy. Jake touched many lives throughout his life and will be missed by many.
A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, October 6 at 1:00 PM at the First United Methodist Church, 310 W. 11th Street. There will be a reception at the church in Booth Hall after the service.
Services
Memorial Service: October 6, 2023 1:00 pm
First United Methodist Church
310 W. 11th Street
Pueblo, CO 81003
719-544-1917
COL Jon Holm (former Automatic 6)
Thank you, Jon
–Gunny Roper
We will pray that God will give you strength. May the nearness of his wonderful presence fill your life and give you courage.
My earliest memory of Jake: We were really little kids, at Belmont Elementary, maybe 2nd or 3rd grade. We were both in high-level reading and math, and we were tiny arch rivals. The teacher sent us into the hallway to work together and we disagreed vehemently on something. I can’t remember what; it might’ve been a math problem. She had to come out in the hallway and settle us down because we were both near tears or maybe fisticuffs. He was so smart and stubborn. (Jake: Don’t take any $h*t in the hereafter, buddy.) I am also grateful for his service to our country. My prayers are especially with Jake’s daughter and your whole family. He will be missed.
Jake was always so very smart and fun to be around. All of my sympathies to Suniva and all the loved ones he left behind. May his memories light your hearts.
RIP Brother!!
-Dave Nash
Thank you, brother. It was a blessing serving with you. I was thinking about you and our platoon days ago and how we all conquered, defied, and survived the days in Iraq. And, how everyone is doing nowadays. This is truly one of the saddest days… you will be forever missed.
Praying for you and your family.
’till we regroup Smoke
It was an honor to serve with you in Iraq 1SG Jacobs, a lot of men would not be home without your leadership – you made everyone around you, better- a true leader and your presence will be missed – God Bless and rest in peace.
If you know me, you know that finding words isn’t usually hard. It’s hard now, but I will do my best.
Smoke Jake was one of the greatest influences on my military career. He gave me my first shot as a Gun Chief. Saw something in me, that I couldn’t possibly predict I could achieve. Taught me how to write counseling and NCOERs to represent Soldiers to the best of my ability.
Taught me how the biggest influence on leading others was simple. That giving a shit about people and being personally invested in them was what really matters. Hundreds of times when faced with a hard decision as a leader, my first thought was “what would smoke do”. He provided mentorship and counsel to me at every single level of my career as a NCO right up to calling me the day I retired. When I called or walked into his office, he always had the right answer. He had Zero problem telling people the way stuff was.
I remember sitting with him at the Ball, and how proud he was at receiving his St. Barbs. The brigade commander who had been absolutely screwing us over for months walked to the podium. He started spouting off about how he loved ”his” Field Artillery. Smoke couldn’t take it. He slammed a bottle of everclear, stood up, beat on the front of the podium, and shouted to the 600 people in the room….”You sorry piece of s**t yellow lapel wearing motherf***! You shouldn’t even be here!”
A couple seconds later, his Section Chiefs dragged him out of the room. I’ve never been so motivated to be a Field Artillery NCO in my life.
Dear Jake,
I didn’t know what a Mike Golf was when I met you, but the way you carried yourself, and the way the soldiers and officers respected you, made it seem like the most critical role in the Army. You showed patience, kindness, empathy and understanding to a green group of lieutenants and we LOVED you for it. You were the mentor we didn’t know we needed, and man, did we love to ambush you with questions while you were smoking. It was the best time to pick your brain because we knew you couldn’t walk away 😀
You taught me more than you could ever know, and replaced my ideologies and assumptions with experience and inquisitiveness.
My favorite memory, and there are MANY, is when we played basketball around Thanksgiving, at Stone, and you and the 4 LTs wiped the floor with the Stone mail guys, who thought they were the TRUTH. We all had it going that night and it made that weird place feel a bit like home.
You were, to me, an absolute legend.
Dear cousins, Bill and Trish and the whole Jacobs family: We send our love and prayers for all of you. May Jake’s soul rest in the Loving arms our Our Dear Lord. May his soul and all the souls of our loved ones rest in eternal peace. Amen.
Jake…Words cannot express the deep sadness in my heart upon hearing of your passing. You were a remarkable friend, and the memories we created together will forever hold a special place in my heart. Your infectious laughter, your unwavering support, and the countless adventures we embarked on are cherished moments that I will forever carry with me.
Rest in heaven, Jake. Your friendship was a gift, and you will never be forgotten.
So sorry for your loss. Jake was truly a Hero! We have fun memories of Jake when he was a young boy in Pueblo. So Thankful for his outstanding and unselfish service to us and our country! God’s blessings to the family.
Bart and Sharon
Coach: This journey is full of opportunities, lessons, beauty and often pain. The pain is fuel for a better tomorrow; you have cultivated a path for so many of your players and your dear son Jake! Be joyful in that he stood for the right way as you modeled.
I love U Coach…RP
Coach
So sorry for your loss. Belinda and I will be praying for you and all of Jake’s loved ones. God Bless.
I know Grandma and Grandpa have embraced you and you have found peace.
Trish
Sincerely, Rita
I’m Nicholos Cole Julie’s husband, my memory of Jake is of the first time we met, had dinner at his house which he made. He later took me for a hide in his corvette probably (110 mph) he asked whats my intention for his sister. In my book thats someone who loves and tries to protect his family. Rest in peace 🙏 Jake.
Super young man who loved his country and family. Spent many holidays with him and the family. My boys were older and picked on Jake like a “little brother!”He was exhausted when we left.. Jake will be missed by all.God Bless him.
Rolling Thunder -Thunder Pride
CSM Alvarez