Lucille "Lu" (Self) Jacobs

Lu was born July 7, 1923, in High Hill, Missouri. Her parents were William Charnock Self, an ordained Baptist circuit minister, and Elda Amy (McCubbin) Self, a church organist and milliner. Lu was the youngest of five children.

Early in her youth, the family relocated to the Guthrie area on a farm across the road from Dry Fork Baptist Church. Lu joked about her two brothers, Bill and Lloyd, leading her around the barnyard barefoot through a minefield of cowpies. She reminisced about sitting on the chicken house with her sister Lois and watching airplanes search the area for Pretty Boy Floyd (they had never seen a plane), and about “the cyclone” that tore through the area knocking bricks down into the fireplace but leaving their home and the church as practically the only structures still standing in the area. She recalled vividly her mother, older sister Eileen, and the family preparing and serving meals the following day to 25 or 30 friends and neighbors.

Lu rode a horse to, and attended, a one room school with her siblings and neighboring children led by a fondly remembered and beloved teacher, “Miss Josie”. Lifelong friendships and bonds were created, and it could safely be said that Dryfork School and church were where her young life was forged.

The farm where they lived was lost during the great depression, so the family relocated to a home on Bluff Street in Fulton, MO. The little country girl thrived at Fulton High School, landing the lead role in the school play, “Daisy”, playing basketball, and graduating with honors in the class of 1941. Many more lifelong friendships were created.

After graduation, Lu and a schoolmate moved to New Orleans where her brother Bill was stationed in the Navy. She got a job as payroll clerk at Brown Shoe Company. However, Lu’s boss had a tendency to do most of the work herself. At one point Lu was reprimanded for having a book on her desk, it turned out that she was actually typing the book in her free time to improve her skills. Eventually, Lu was able to type 100 words a minute on a manual typewriter!

Following her time in New Orleans, Lu moved to Columbia to join her sister Lois and new brother-in-law Louis Douglas, as well as her mom and dad. She was employed by H.R. Mueller, Mueller Florist, as the secretary. In October 1946, Lois set her “little sister” up on a blind date with Everett P. “Jake” Jacobs. Two months later they were married on December 28th. The new couple worked just a few blocks apart, Lu at Mueller’s and Jake at A&P where he was a butcher and meat department manager for 33 years. They lived in an apartment on Lee Street near downtown Columbia. They both loved sports and attended MU football games, holding season tickets for 66 years. Additionally, they traveled to St. Louis for Cardinals baseball games.

In their spare time, the couple started building houses on the west side of Columbia. They would build a house and move into it for a year or so while building the next house. Then they would sell or move into the house they had been building until the next one was done. While living on Anderson Street in 1951, son Delton was born and, in 1954, daughter Debbie. After the kids were born Lu started working part-time doing toy parties and many other endeavors.

In 1960, they became small share participants in Town & Country Lanes bowling center. Lu went to work as secretary and bookkeeper for the new endeavor, eventually becoming the general manager a few years later. Lu’s dedication to Town & Country, and to the sport of bowling, saw her organizing leagues and leading the youth bowling movement in the area and throughout the state. During her tenure she developed youth leagues, hosted high school gym classes, and helped establish bowling classes and leagues for the area colleges. Lu became the first woman to serve on the board of directors for the Missouri Bowling Proprietors Association, the Tri-County BPAA and the National Bowling Proprietors Association of America.

Lu was an active member of First Baptist Church, Columbia where she and Jake were married by her brother Lloyd, a Baptist Minister. She was deeply involved in many church activities including the Ann Judson Circle, where she served as President, Vacation Bible School, Sneed and Discussion Sunday School Classes, First Grandparents, and more. Her civic involvement included numerous clubs and activities including Cosmopolitan International, The Senior Center, and co-chairing the local Multiple Sclerosis Dinner of Champions with her husband Jake in 1978.

Lu was truly one of those extraordinary people that loved and cared for everyone in the truest sense of the statement. From being the Cub Scout Den Leader and Brownie/Girl Scout Troop Leader to tending mumps, measles, chicken pox, and every scraped knee and sliced finger along the way, Lu was always mom first and foremost. Mom never slept a wink until her kids walked in the door, no matter what time. Lu & Jake’s house was like a second home and Lu was like a second mom to many extended family members and all of Delton and Debbie’s friends.

Lu was preceded in death by her husband Jake, parents William and Elda Self, and her four siblings: William “Bill”, Lloyd, Eileen Payne, and Lois Douglas. She is survived by her son, Delton (Janie) Jacobs, daughter Debbie (Ed) Brown, grandchildren Amanda Jacobs, David Jacobs, Ashlee (Tony) Fulkerson, Andrew Brown, Hoke Holmes and John Robert Holmes, as well as six great grandchildren: River, Ariella, Blake, Elyse, Brock and Ellie.

Visitation will be December 3, 2023 from 3 to 5pm and her celebration of life will be at 1pm the following day (December 4th) at Memorial Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Columbia Cemetery. Services will be co-officiated by Reverends Carol McEntyre and Brittany McDonald-Null.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialfuneralhomeandcemetery.com for the Jacobs family.