An obituary is not available at this time for John “Jake” Thomas Jacobsen. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall.
left a message on September 7, 2019:
I just looked Jake up and am hoping this is not the person I knew in the 60s who had had polio as a child . can someone tell me? This was in Racine Wisconsin.
left a message on November 2, 2017:
Jake’s email address, nut4aftrns@aol.com, said it all about him and his love of American Flyer Trains, and for those of us who shared his passion for American Flyer. He was the outward face of the Golden Gate American Flyer Club serving in many leadership capacities and most recently as its treasurer up until his recent illness. He was the contact point for most communications with the club. For many years he also coordinated a group buying program for the GGAFC and obtained excellent discounts for our members. He always contributed more than his share of effort and support to all our activities and was instrumental in the success of all of our Flyerfest West conventions.
In the late 1990s, Jake, Don Rosa and Don Matthies, all stalwart Flyer collectors, were having dinner together in Modesto, California, after returning from Fall S Fest in the Chicago area. The conversation at the table turned to the need for a similar S only meet in the West; since the S scale community already had a regular show in the bay area (BASS), they all agreed that a Flyer-based show was needed. As a result the first Flyer Fest West was held at Dave Butterfield’s home in Livermore and the Sacramento Valley American Flyer Club was organized at the same time. Jake was instrumental in the organizing of the first Flyer Fest West and by extension, the Sacramento Valley American Flyer Club.
Jake was a well-known collector having a penchant for the rare and unusual. If you had a 4-12-2 loco made from a couple of Flyer Pacifics, Jake would be interested! If it was a rarity actually made by A.C. Gilbert, he was even more interested. These rarities are what he would chase and often catch. His interest in trains never waned and he was a good friend to all collectors and operators who knew him. Our friend will be greatly missed by all of us in the Northern California American Flyer Community.
Dale Smith
Golden Gate American Flyer Club
left a message:
Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.
Show More