Eddie R. Jacobs

A great and loving heart was stilled December 30, 2006, when Eddie R. Jacobs passed away at Hospice House. Funeral services will be 1:00 pm Tuesday, January 2, 2007 at the Louis Memorial Chapel, 6830 Troost Avenue. Burial at Rose Hill Cemetery. The family kindly requests no flowers and suggests contributions to Kansas City Hospice House, 12000 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64145. Eddie was born November 16, 1924 to Bertha and Jake Jacobs, Kansas City, MO, the third of their four children. He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Phillip Jacobs and Jacqueline Kemp, as well as first wife Marjorie LaVine Jacobs. Some time between graduation from Paseo High School and service in World War II, he managed to become the Golden Gloves Welterweight Champion. He next served in the U.S. Army as a medic, arriving at Normandy, France, several days after D-Day. His “people skills” were soon recognized and he found himself running an Officer’s Club in Belgium. Returning to Kansas City after the war, he met and married Marjie, beginning a happy chapter in their lives, which lasted more than 48 years. Whether it was their first, little schoolhouse-turned-apartment or their retirement condo, their home was a center for friends, family and good times. They were a team, from the kitchen to the dance floor. Eddie was associated with the Phil Jacobs Maternity Wear Company, serving as vice president, managing their several hundred employees. In 1972 he entered the real estate field. He was joined in 1979 by his daughter, Melanie, forming their own company. The were an award-winning team and honored as members of the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors as well as the National Association of Realtors and Re Max Realtors. He was a member of Congregation Beth Shalom. Survivors include his wife Lori Passman and his daughters and sons-in- law, Denise and Ron Coppaken and Melanie and P.J. McGraw; grandchildren Todd and Celine Coppaken, Jeffrey Coppaken, Cailin Coppaken, Alexis McGraw and Taylor McGraw, and one great grandchild, Maya Coppaken. He is also survived by sister Shirley Teich, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Marshall and Sylvia LaVine, sister-in-law, Roberta Jacobs and several nieces and nephews; step-children and their spouses, Bruce and Michele Passman, Neal and Angie Passman and Randy and Ana Passman, and their children. There were three priorities in Eddie’s life: family, friends and work and it is for these that his circle of loving family and friends will remember him. His dancing eyes and teasing grin made a friend of everyone he met. And if you were his friend, his loyalty and generous nature knew no bounds. Considerate and humble to the end, he never wanted to impose or demand. But most of all he enjoyed his family. His greatest happiness came from their company. Every birthday, recital, competition, graduation or school game found him there, applaudding. He had a lifetime of family trips to remember, both with Marjie and their children and with Lori and their extended families. Everything from rambling RV jaunts to Disney grandchildren cruises, Eddie was there, sharing in the fun. His sweet consideration for all of them bound them into a loving unit. It is these memories which comfort them as they recognize the emptiness his passing leaves. It was Eddie’s wish to be at Hospice House. His family will be forever grateful that his final days were made easier by the caring and wonderful staff there.