Arthur Berry Jacobs

Resident of Monterey, CA

June 28, 1941 - July 14, 2018

With heavy, yet very full hearts, we said good bye to Art Jacobs, a remarkable husband, father, grandfather and friend.

Originally from Queens, New York, Art grew up in a traditional Jewish family in the Irish area of Bayside. Boy, did he love to tell a good story of Bayside. Stick ball in the street, hot dogs on Coney Island and melees on the corners, are what you might imagine from a movie based in that era in New York. He had the bravado of many New Yorkers, but California softened him up in the second half of his life. Never shy and always happy to tell you exactly what he was thinking, Art was a true character. Funny, wise, empathetic and loving, only scratch the surface of why he was so adored.

He attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School and went on to be a tax attorney for the government in Washington, DC. But the East Coast winters were harsh and he dreamed of moving west to the sunshine and beaches of California. From a corporate attorney job for Dole in Los Angeles, he moved to the Bay Area where he met his true love, Joy. Their connection was instant, in fact he told her on their first date that he was going to marry her. And that they did and created a life that dreams are made of. Sure, there were tough times as in any story, but at the core of their story was love, respect and admiration. Art, Joy and their family finally moved to their 'little piece of heaven' in Monterey 30 years ago where he took up golfing. As he would say, why wouldn't you golf when you live in a world class golf mecca like the Monterey Peninsula. He loved to golf in the fresh air, look for red foxes, sparrows and horses on the course and tell tall tales with his buddies... but mostly he loved to teach his grandkids his favorite sport with passion and precision.

Art practiced law for a total of 50 years. He derived great satisfaction from helping others; especially meaningful to him was helping those truly in need. The last year of his life wasn't easy. With a cancer diagnosis in November, the symptoms and the treatment of the disease were painful. But he persevered with grace and poise because he wanted his family to see how you overcome adversity in a strong, dignified manner. Even on a very difficult day, he would smile and show gratitude to those that were helping him. Two doctors, in particular, were shining lights in a dark time. Dr Zach Koontz was everything we could ask for in an oncologist; very insightful and strong with his course of treatment yet soft and caring when needed. Dr. Michael Galloway became a friend 20 years earlier and on top of being incredibly astute in his line of medicine, he treated Art and all of Art's family with love, kindness and the occasional joke. Both of these doctors have our eternal gratitude for their care of our precious Artie.

Art is survived by his tribe of people who were so lucky to know and love him. His wife & best friend of 40 years, Joy; his kids, Jon (& Kathy) and Jen (& Jeff) and Jordana; his grandkids Matthew, Joel, Sierra, Ben and Brody and 2 incredible rescue labs, Charlie and Frankie. While we miss him beyond belief, his sarcastic humor and wise words of advice live on in all of us.

In lieu of flowers, Art would love you to make donations in his honor to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society – HIAS (1300 Spring Street, Ste. 500, Silver Spring, MD, 20910 or HIAS.org) assisting refugee families in many parts of the world reunite with their loved ones because as Art would always say, family is everything. Art will be laid to rest in a private ceremony for his family with a celebration of his life being planned for a future date. We would all be so grateful for anyone who knew or loved him to say a prayer or tell a heartwarming story in his honor. Please visit www.thepaulmortuary.com to sign Art’s guest book and leave messages for his family.

Artie, May the paths rise to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back...

and may God hold you in the palm of his hand until we meet again.