TJ Jacob

TJ Jacob (Thomas Joseph John Jacob) moved on in the circle of life on Christmas Eve, 2019. He departed quickly and peacefully from natural causes at his home in Fort Collins, Colorado, after a brief illness. He was happy and full of life, right up until his spirit decided to move on.

TJ left behind his loving life partner, Nancy Nichols, whom he met at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where both worked in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (College of ACES, formerly College of Agriculture).

During various periods of his life, he was affectionately known as Tom, Tommy, Jake, TJ, and Lichen Spirit Warrior. He was preceded in death by his father, Joseph Martin Jacob; his mother, Marion (Koehler) Jacob; and his brother John Jacob, all of Chicago. Close surviving relatives include his brother Dennis Jacob of Chicago and sister Joanne (Jacob) Ginocchio of Port Charlotte, Florida.

TJ grew up in an apartment behind the family tavern, ABC Tap, in the Portage Park community of Chicago. He attended St. Bartholomew’s School and St. Patrick’s High School. He started college at the University of Illinois-Circle Campus on Navy Pier. He transferred to the UIUC campus, where he earned a B.S. in Forestry and an M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences.

He spent time as a logging engineer in Alaska and a wildland firefighter in Oregon before settling into a teaching career at UIUC. After working in academia for 20 years, in 1996 he moved to Fort Collins, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, where his love of the outdoors flourished.

TJ truly loved his life, family, and friends. Ever youthful and joyful, he cherished every day, whether working in his beloved vegetable garden or embarking on grand adventures such as mountaineering and canoeing trips; a coast-to-coast bike tour; vacations in Europe, Central America, and India; and passages of the Atlantic Ocean on the Queen Mary II.

TJ was a brother, uncle, teacher, mentor, confidant, and faithful friend to so many people he met in the various places where he lived, including his hometown of Chicago; his university town of Champaign-Urbana; his Colorado town of Fort Collins; his wildland-firefighting town of Hood River, Oregon; and his logging town of Ketchikan, Alaska. He loved meeting new people and conversing about virtually any subject. Never without a fabulous story to offer, TJ thrived on conversation and was happy to provide helpful advice to anyone who sought his guidance.

TJ’s occupations and avocations over the years included business owner, university lecturer, university program director, academic adviser, maintenance mechanic, wildland firefighter, logging engineer, deep ecologist, forester, canoeist, mountaineer, expedition leader, runner, bicyclist, insurance agent, banker, salesman, claims examiner, master gardener, cook, organizer, life coach, conservationist, conversationalist, Poudre Wilderness Volunteer, and storyteller.

An ardent environmentalist, TJ sought tranquility and happiness for himself, others, and Mother Earth. A brilliant thinker and orator, TJ freely gave of his many talents toward efforts to heal the earth and create a sustainable path for humanity. Known as Mr. Environment at UIUC, he helped organize the campus’s first Earth Day Celebration, attracting 5,000 participants. First at the Institute for Environmental Studies and later in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (formerly Department of Forestry), TJ created 13 new credit courses. Notable among them were Earth Care, Ecology of Commerce, Story as a Tool for Teaching About the Environment, Human Ecosystems, and Ecology for Educators. The latter was one of his crowning achievements that quickly became a required course for all science-education students in the College of Education.

TJ’s name appeared on the UIUC List of Excellent Teachers from 1980 to 1996, and he was invited to give keynote speeches at many conferences and special events, including an inspirational keynote address to incoming freshmen at the College of ACES from 1990 through 1995. He advised an estimated 10,000 students at UIUC, many of whom followed career paths that he inspired. Before beginning his teaching career, TJ co-owned Grade VI Expedition Outfitters, with stores in Champaign-Urbana and Indianapolis. He also worked as a supervisor at Cook County Forest Preserves, among other ventures.

After leaving academia, TJ added banker and insurance agent to his resume. At the time of his passing, he was one of Enterprise Holdings’ top claims examiners, a company with 100,000 employees worldwide.

TJ brightened many people’s lives and made a positive influence wherever he went. For those who were closest to him, we will miss his intelligence, loyalty, humor, compassion, and joy. May his spirit enrich whomever and whatever it touches in his journey forward.

A celebration of TJ’s life will take place on Saturday, July 18, in Loveland, Colorado, to be attended by close family and friends. Others may join the celebration via Zoom. Memorial hikes will also take place in the mountains of Colorado and on the prairies of east-central Illinois.

In lieu of flowers or other gifts, please consider donating to your local women’s and children’s shelter. Donations to any environmental or nature organization would also further his lasting legacy.