Wayne “Jake” Jacobi
July 31, 1926 – December 27, 2011
Wayne “Jake” Jacobi, 86, seafarer, journalist, former press secretary to Gov. Dan Evans, and devoted husband died peacefully surrounded by his three children, Dec. 27, 2011 from pneumonia at Harrison Hospital.
Jake was born and raised in the Bryant neighborhood of Seattle, the son of Anath and Miller “Skipper” Jacobi. He attended Roosevelt High School where he met Dan Evans. A Boy Scout in Troop 144, he developed a love for the sea and handling small boats from his father, serving in the Sea Scouts under Skipper. After graduation in 1943 he polished his seamanship with a stint in the USN in the Pacific from 1943 to 1945.
After the war, Wayne studied at the University of Washington’s School of Journalism, rowed with the vaunted Husky crew, and married nursing student, Sarah Adele Sparks.
He cut his journalistic teeth at The Bremerton Sun and other papers before he and Sarah arrived in 1955 on Bainbridge Island. There Wayne came under the tutelage of famed Bainbridge Review owner/editors, Walt & Milly Woodward. He was co-editor with them from 1955 until 1960. Walt and Jake shared a love of boats and is featured in Walter’s book Big Toot “No Friends Like Boating Friends” chapter where Jake’s boat performs a Woodward “rescue”. Wayne joined St Barnabas Episcopal Church to become a lay reader and advisor to the youth group under the Rev. Vincent Gowen. In these years, Wayne and Sarah bought and remodeled their home of 55 years in Port Madison, became active in efforts to build a new Island Library, and each fall, skippered his father’s boat through the San Juan and Gulf Islands.
In 1960 at the Seattle Times Wayne, mixing his love of things nautical with the profession of journalism, covered the maritime beat but moved into political reporting which led to him leaving the Times for the 1964 “Dan Evans for Governor” campaign. He was the governor’s press secretary in the first Evans administration. He left in 1968 to return to Bainbridge and begin working for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer covering mainly city and county politics until retirement in 1989.
His last career as grandfather was probably his most enjoyable. Wayne enjoyed fishing, cross country skiing, and backpacking, was an ace crossworder and read the entire Jack Aubrey series about the Royal Navy in the days of Nelson and other volumes of seafaring lore.
Wayne is survived by Sarah, his wife of 61 years; his children Martin, Carol, and Anne and his devoted grandchildren Jennifer, Julianna, and Nathan Sackeyfio, and Andrew, Wesley, and Madeline Stone.
Remembrances can be made to: St Barnabas Outreach fund or Wolf Haven International at www.wolfhaven.org in Wayne’s name
A celebration of Wayne’s life will be held at 1:30 PM, Saturday, February 11, 2012, at St. Barnabas Church, 1187 Wyatt Way NE, Bainbridge Island.
Funeral arrangements are by Cook Funeral Home where you may sign the guestbook online at: www.cookfamilyfuneralhome.com.
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