Obituary of Dale William Jacobs

Dale William Jacobs, age 82, passed away on December 12th, 2023, at Lynchburg General Hospital, Lynchburg, Virginia, after a short illness. He was the husband of Donna Jean Jacobs, with whom he shared almost 56 years of marriage. Born in Massillon, Ohio, on February 19, 1941, Dale was the son of Donald and Lillian Jacobs (deceased). Dale graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York in 1965 with a degree in Marine Engineering. Upon graduation, Dale worked as a licensed engineering officer on a number of U.S. flagged merchant vessels. Dale also served in the Naval Reserve and was honorably discharged in August 1982.

After his stint in the merchant marines, and following his marriage to Donna, Dale began working at Babcock & Wilcox in Barberton, Ohio in the field of nuclear engineering. He made many trips to Groton, Connecticut where the nuclear submarines were being built. During his tenure at B & W, he transferred to the Mount Athos facility in Lynchburg, Virginia. Upon retirement from B & W, he worked as a consultant with Anderson & Associates, eventually moving to Hackettstown, New Jersey to work with Gray*Star, Inc. in the design and building of irradiators. He officially retired in 2003 and moved back to Lynchburg, Virginia.

Dale was a member of the Wadsworth (OH) Masonic Lodge #385 for 40 years, where he previously served as Master of the Lodge. He was also a member of Marshall Lodge #39 in Lynchburg, Virginia. Dale was a member of Moose Lodge 1727 and a Moose Legionnaire. He belonged to the Brushy Mountain Club in Hurt, Virginia. For a number of years, Dale had been a volunteer instructor with the Virginia Hunter Education Association, teaching many classes in hunter safety in both Campbell County and Bedford County. Dale attended Timberlake Church (formerly known as Timberlake United Methodist Church). In his leisure, Dale enjoyed working on cars, target shooting, fishing, working crossword puzzles, working on his daughter’s “daddy-do” lists, and spending time with his family and friends.

In addition to his wife, Donna, Dale is survived by daughter, Diana L. Jacobs and son, Dennis C. Jacobs (Summer); 3 grandchildren, Whitney N. Jacobs, Gary W. Jacobs, and Sadie K. Johnson; brother, David C. Jacobs, sister, Dolores L. Ballas (Bill); a niece and three nephews.

A memorial service for Dale will be held on January 11, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Moose Lodge 1727, 934 Waterlick Rd., Lynchburg, Virginia, 24501.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dale’s name to the Virginia Hunter Education Association, (https://www.vahea.org/business/#donate), or Friends of Campbell County Animal Control (https://www.friendsofcampbellcounty.org/info/donate).