WAND Honors Arlene Eleanor Birge Jacob

WAND honors the life of Arlene Eleanor Birge Jacob, an extraordinary WAND member and the mother of our WAND Inc. board chair Karen Jacob. Below is the obituary printed in the South Bend Tribune.

Arlene Eleanor Birge Jacob, 91, passed away on Saturday, May 21, 2011, at the home of her daughter and son-in-law in South Bend, Indiana. She was born March, 18, 1920 in Manchester, Connecticut to Harold and Esther Birge. She and her sister Betty Jean Birge Marley Cone were raised by their mother in Manchester where they were members of The Swedish Congregational Church.

Arlene was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 28 years, Pierce “Babe” Jacob whom she married on December 28, 1946. She is survived by her devoted daughters, Karen Jacob, (South Bend) and Nancy Sullivan (Camas, Washington); sons-in-law David Cortright and Barry Sullivan; grandson, James Jacob Cortright; and sister Betty Jean, niece Denise Scheuy, and nephew James Marley, all of Florida.

During World War II, Arlene worked at Pioneer Parachute and drove a city bus in Hartford, Connecticut. She also lived on the west coast, driving a bus for the Los Angeles Motor Coach company. In Washington State she worked for the Civil Service Agency and drove a bus for government workers who she later learned were part of the Manhattan Project that built the atomic bomb.

Back home in Milford, Connecticut in 1946, she married Pierce “Babe” Jacob, who had served 42 months in the South Pacific during the war. She worked in several factories and spent many years as a school bus driver.

In 1991 Arlene moved to Buchanan, Michigan to be with her daughter and son-in-law to help raise her only grandchild, James. In 1992 she moved with the family to Goshen, Indiana and recently to South Bend.

Arlene was an avid motorist who always seemed most at home behind the wheel. She and her husband Babe were avid motorcyclists. She drove by car all over the United States and even into advanced years continued to crisscross the country to see her daughter on the west coast or visit friends in Florida. Her license plate (and previous CB handle) declared her spirit: "BGypsy." Her car was adorned with the number 24, reflecting her passion for NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon.

Arlene’s life was one of adventure and dedication to her family and friends. She made friends quickly and was fond of telling stories. At 89 she got her first tattoo and this past winter got her second one! She wore her cowboy boots right up to the day she died.

A memorial service will be at 5 pm, Tuesday, May 24th at the Middlebury Church of the Brethren, 507 W. Bristol Street in Middlebury, where she attended for a number of years. A reception will be held at the church before the service starting at 4 pm. A celebration of her life will follow at the home of Karen and David in their South Bend home. Internment of her ashes will be in Milford, Connecticut in September where family and friends will celebrate her long and adventurous life.

Memorial contributions may be made to WAND (Women’s Action for New Directions) Education Fund of which she was a member, at 691 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476 or online here.