Barbara Jacobson

With her sons at her bedside, Barbara Lucille Jacobson died in her sleep on the morning of June 4th 2016 in Sun City Arizona. She was 85 years old and is survived by her three Sons Eric, Kirk and Chris Schwarz as well as her sister Sue Davis and her brother Charles St. Louis. Barbara Jacobson is to be buried at Crystal Springs Cemetery in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Services will be held at 11:30 AM, Saturday June 18th at the Crystal Springs Cemetery, eulogized by David Stout of the Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ of St. Joseph, MI. Barbara was born in Oak Park, IL on July 3rd, 1930 to Arlene and Charles St. Louis. The family moved to Benton Harbor Michigan where Barbara graduated from High School in 1948 as a Thespian. This is where she met her sweetheart and first husband, Dr. Eugene R. Schwarz. Barbara graduated from Michigan State University and was an Airline stewardess for American Airlines in the early 1950's. She married Eugene Schwarz in 1953 and moved back to the Twin Cities after his tour in Korea. Barbara was active in the Twin City Players and had a life long interest in acting, theater, musicals and cinema. As children we would all listen to her rehearse her lines and sing her musical numbers. She was vibrant, poised, loved life and most of all loved people. At our home there was bridge club, fishing club and occasionally a meeting of the Twin City Players after a Musical had finished its run. The holidays were warm and so full of family and friends, for a child, it seemed like a scene from a Charles Dickens novel. We often entertained guests at our cottage in Coloma, MI and enjoyed many summers at the Paw Paw Lakes during the 1960's fishing, swimming, sailing and barbecuing. Mother was also active in the First Congregational Church of Benton Harbor. She later taught English at the Lakeshore High School; receiving her Masters Degree in 1978. Her first husband, Eugene died of a heart attack in 1976. She later married Robert Jacobson and the two moved to Livonia MI. From 1977 to 1983, she was quite active in the Nativity United Church as the the pastor's wife. In 1984, the Jacobson's moved Arizona where Bob was the pastor of the Church of the Palms in Sun City. She loved spending most of her time with church activities, but also could be found golfing and enthusiastically cheering or armchair quarterbacking her favorite teams.