Gordon Wayne Jacobsen

Gordon was born on December 8, 1928 in Scott’s Bluff, Nebraska, the youngest in a family of five children. During the depression he moved, along with his parents, three brothers and sister to McCleary Washington where he completed high school before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. He rose to the rank of Sergeant and was stationed on Okinawa as part of the U.S. occupation force after World War II. Upon returning home, he enrolled at the University of Washington on the G.I bill, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering before beginning a career with the Puget Sound Power and Light Company. In 1950 he married Luella Maxine Ristine, his wife of 62 years and a professional nurse, who preceded him in death in 2012. In 1964 the Jacobsen family moved from Bremerton to Bellevue, Washington where Gordon continued his career with PSP & L, becoming a project manager for the company’s nuclear division. After leaving the energy management profession in the late 1980s, he worked briefly for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. After leaving the Corps, Gordon and Maxine settled into retirement in their Bellevue apartment where they enjoyed years of attending Husky football games, traveling, and visiting with family and friends.

Gordon was a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church. He is survived by his three children, Cheryl Jacobsen (William Johnson) of Stockton California, Dr. Judith Jacobsen of Kirkland Washington, and Michael Jacobsen (Danielle Sinclair) of Plainsboro New Jersey; three grandchildren, Jake Johnson, Kyle Johnson (Claire Johnson), and Rachel Johnson; and two great-grandchildren, Charlie Johnson and Crosby Johnson.