July 04, 1939 - October 30, 2021
The online memorial service took place November 20, 2021.
Click this link to view the video recording of the service.
As part of the service, the grandkids put together a tribute to Jake. Click this link to view the grandkids’ tribute.
Tribute
Husband, dad, grandpa, brother, friend. He was loved by us all.
Jake had an amazing life. Born in Cairo, Illinois, and raised in Chicago and Baltimore, he served 38 years as a Foreign Service Officer and lived in 7 countries before retiring in Washington, DC. At 23, he married Susan Wagner, the love of his life and for 59 years they traveled the world and amassed friends everywhere. He loved his family dearly, including his son Jim and his wife Kristen, and their children Jacob, Kathleen, and Molly; and his daughter Betsy and her husband Ian Lipson, and their three children Jack, Bryson, and Abraham; and his sister Mary Jane Gillespie.
Photo Gallery
Husband, dad, grandpa, brother, friend.
"Before I leave, I urge you to remember three things."
Excerpt of Jake's remarks from his 2011 induction into his high school hall of fame, Baltimore City College. It shows things he cared deeply about in life and would want us to remember about him.
“Jake had a larger than life personality and took over the room to make it better.”
A sample of Jake’s playlist.
“Music is the universal language of mankind.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
