"I worked with John at Falk School and I always enjoyed talking with him. I worked in the office and often while waiting for his next class to arrive for Art, he would stop and chat for a couple of minutes. I enjoyed his wisdom, his sense of humor, his recipes, his kindness and his friendship. One day, while John was in the process of putting up a display of students' art, I commented on the "cute" artwork. He let me know in a stern and gruff voice that art is "not cute"! Of course, many times after that, while passing him in the hall, some of us would make sure we exclaimed how "adorable" or "cute" the displayed artwork was.....while he was putting up yet another wonderful display. He did wonderful projects with the elementary students and made our school beautiful with the art displayed for all to enjoy. I also enjoyed seeing John's personal art. He was a wonderful artist and made it look so easy! I missed John very much when he retired and I will miss him even more now. Rest in peace, enjoy the beauty of heaven and we will remember you and your contributions to all of us who were lucky enough to know you. I would like to extend my sympathy to Marge and all of John's family. Mary Bruns"
In loving memory of
John William Jacoby
December 5, 1935 - August 16, 2017
John W. Jacoby
Grandfather, father, husband, teacher, artist, died peacefully in the early morning of August 16, 2017 in his sleep, as he had wanted.
John was born December 5, 1935 in Milwaukee. H spent most of his growing up years in Greendale, WI, (where he was known as Bill). John graduated from UW-Milwaukee in its first year as a state school and to the consternation of his friend, Gary Glynn, has the same diploma as if he had graduated from UW-Madison. He accompanied a college friend to Great Lakes, IL where the friend wanted to take the test for Officer Candidates' School. Because he had nothing else to do while waiting for his friend, John took the test, too. His friend flunked, but John passed. He ended up in the Marine Corps flying helicopters.
When he got out of the Marines, John returned to UW-Milwaukee to take some graduate school courses. There he met Marge Wirsbitzki, who became his wife in 1964. John found a job teaching art in the Madison Public Schools and they moved to Madison after their honeymoon. He continued taking grad school courses, but the arrival of their four children and their decision for Marge to be a stay at home mom meant he had to go back to teaching. They moved into a house on the near Westside. John taught art in many schools in Madison, sometimes one on the Eastside in the morning and on the Westside in the afternoon. John retired from teaching after 30 years. He continued teaching art after retirement and was pleased that his students ranged in age from 4 to 94.
John was very involved in the community. At Blessed Sacrament Parish, he served as Parish Council president, on the Finance Committee, as chairman of the "Encore" variety show, and volunteer gardener. He was president of the Wisconsin Art Education Association, instrumental in the establishment of Youth Art Month in Wisconsin and Wisconsin Art Educator of the Year in 1994. After retiring he hit the art fair circuit in the Midwest spending some weekends in a 10 by 10 tent with his wife and his watercolors.
In the meantime, he became involved with the Madison-Freiburg Sister City Committee and spent many a Saturday morning at a card table in front the Hegg statue on the Square promoting the wonders of Freiburg Germany. He organized trips to Germany and Freiburg and hosted exchange students from Freiburg, which he truly enjoyed. He became president of the committee and reluctantly resigned from the group when his health began to fail.
John loved being the caregiver for his grandchildren, cooking, and having a good hamburger, gardening, and having a spirited political discussion. You really wanted John on your team if you were playing "Trivial Pursuit".
When he painted in his studio he often listened to Gilbert and Sullivan. His children and grandchildren got escorted to performances of "The Pirates of Penzance" and the "Mikado". Some of the songs are embedded in their brains.
While John was a resident at Capitol Lakes Health Center, he was visited by many friends and associates, which the family greatly appreciated.
Special thanks to Pema and the staff at Capitol Lakes, his primary physician, Dr. Robert Matthew of Group Health, and the staff of Agrace HospiceCare for their caring attention to John.
And thanks to Bev and Lauren who brought him the martini "fixins" and Dick who helped push him in his wheelchair to the Farmers' Market, Concerts on the Square and State Street.
John is survived by a very grateful family, his wife Marge; children, Kay (Jay) Hoel, Paul (Wednesday) Jacoby, Jack (Carole) Jacoby and Nicholas Jacoby; his grandchildren, Hartman, Victor and Gus Hoel, Koty Reich and Peyton Jacoby, Leo and Walter Jacoby; sister Barbara Janiszewski; brother-in-law Paul (Carie) Weston; many nieces and nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Habitat for Humanity, 1014 Fiedler Lane, #29 Madison, WI 53713; Doctors Without Borders, PO Box 5030 Hagerstown MD 21741; or your favorite charity.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. at BLESSED SACRAMENT ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2121 Rowley Ave., Madison, WI, on Friday, August 25, 2017 with Father Samuel Hakeem, O.P. A visitation will be held on Thursday evening from 5 until 7 p.m. at the Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Rd., Madison and on Friday at church one hour prior to Mass.
Please share your memories of John.
Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road Madison
(608) 238-3434
Tributes
"I just now heard of John's passing, and I am so sorry to have lost this passionate soul and colleague with the Sister Cities Collaboration Committee. He will be missed and remembered by so many. My heartfelt sympathies go out to John's family."
"I taught at Sandburg with John. One of my favorite memories is his creation of an underwater scene. The children made fish to float from the ceiling, ground dwellers, seaweed and more. He even used lighting effects. All the classes (not just art) visited the sea world. The next week all took a return trip. Shock, groans, and indignation emanated from the room. John had polluted the sea with cans, trash, dead fish, and whatever else he found. A great lesson for the students. I'm glad I had the opportunity to work with him. Anne Liesendahl"
"John was a wonderful person and fabulous co-worker! I had the opportunity and the privilege to serve in the Madison Metro School District with John. He had the "Jacoby" walk with the children which meant to walk silently and carefully with one hand behind them and to observe every piece of beauty as they passed through the doors of Falk School. John was a quiet man, sincere man, thoughtful man, caring man and one that looked at each learner with interest and fairness. John will be greatly missed on this planet we call earth, but he now is enjoying the everlasting life in heaven waiting for his family and friends to join him. Rest now, John and thank you for your loving contributions while with us. Sincerely, Roseann Murphy"
"My wife Julie & I enjoyed having John as a neighbor when we lived next door on Chapman Street. It was our first house, and we didn't have a clue what we were doing with our yard & garden. John offered to keep up the flower beds for us, and we stubbornly said 'No thank you'. But as we floundered in our attempts to keep the space flourishing, we turned to John for advice - which he was always willing to gently provide, albeit with a knowing chuckle. John was also kind with our pets - always petting them & giving them love when they were by his side of the fence in the backyard. He was a good natured man & we enjoyed his company. He had a good smile and a hearty laugh. The love that he & Marge shared was plainly written in their demeanor with each other, and it was wonderful to have them as neighbors as we launched our relationship & started our family. Through his paintings, through his family, through his friends and everyone he touched through his years, John's light will continue to shine. Thank you for all of your kindness John. Our lives are brighter for knowing you. Vaya con Dios. Todd & Miles Vogt (New London, New Hampshire)"
"Dear, dear John. What a wonderful man. I worked with John as a fellow elementary art teacher in MMSD. We worked on many committees together. He was always a great contributor. His wisdom, experience and sense of humor made those many extra volunteer hours very worthwhile. As a new, young teacher, I learned a lot from John, especially about how to enjoy extra minutes at the end of each art class. If the class finished the lesson and finished cleaning up before the teacher was there to pick up the class, John knew how to relax and enjoy those minutes with the students in fun and creative, game-like ways. I needed to know those techniques, which he was glad to share. John was a great mentor and role model for me. I think his obituary is a lovely tribute. "
"Bill was my younger brother. We had so many political discussions, which I loved because he could explain things to me when I didn't quite get it right or when I couldn't remember all of something. He called me frequently and would often start the conversation with 'Do you remember' at which point we would talk about our mother and father and things that happened when we were growing up. I miss those conversations. I visited him twice this summer and both times they were good visits. He was awake and alert and we had a bunch of 'Do you remember' conversations. The last time I saw him was last week Saturday at our family picnic. I didn't talk to him at all that day. I will miss him."
" I am so very sad to hear about John and kicking myself for not stopping by for a visit in a longtime. John, Randy, and I were roommates and traveling companions to the WAEA art conferences in Milwaukee and many Wisconsin college towns. John and I served on the WAEA board for several years. It was John and Jaylene that were responsible for the popular Youth Art Month show at the State Capitol. John knew every inch of downtown Milwaukee, the best places to eat and drink, the most interesting views, and even some back entrances to unique buildings. As I'm writing this my wife reminded me that I always had a story about John when we returned. My favorite story with John concerned my own pottery production. He commented once at my display that he needed a "flower pot". I thought that odd, because he could get such a pot almost anywhere and hence didn't may much attention to his request. My wares were covered jars, casseroles, large hanging pots, and one-of-a-kind cups and bowls. It wasn't until many months later that my wife explained: John wanted a "FLOUR POT", a storage jar. So I finally produced a lidded pot, large enough to hold his flour, that read: "Johns flower pot" and gave it to him at a conference. It was on his kitchen counter last time I stopped. I will always remember John as a friend, a fine teacher, a really good draftsman and artist, a hard worker, a devoted husband, Father, and Grandfather, a little stubborn (ask Marge), and a great "Lindy Hop" dancer. He will be missed, David J. Chalgren, retired art teacher, Waunakee "