Howard Dean (Jake) Jacobson II, 74, of Kearney, passed away on July 18, 2024 after a long, valiant battle with illness. Jake was born July 25, 1949 in Iola, Kansas, to Howard D. and Dorothy A. (Preece) Jacobson. He attended Iola and El Dorado, Kansas, schools graduating from El Dorado Senior High School with the class of 1968. He attended Butler County Community College for two years.

In 1971, Jake and Jean (Patterson) were married in El Dorado. In 1972, he and Jean moved to Hays, Kansas, where he continued his education at Fort Hays State College graduating in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Master of Arts degree in sculpture in 1974, and a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics in 1982. They moved to Hutchinson, Kansas, when Jake took a teaching position at Hutchinson Senior High, and then to Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Nebraska. In 1987 he began his long tenure at the University of Nebraska at Kearney retiring in 2014 as a Professor of Art-Ceramics.

Jake was an artist and well known for his ceramics – both beautiful functional works of bowls and cups, and whimsical ceramic teapots. His work was exhibited nationally in numerous juried and invitational exhibitions. In the 1990s he was the guest curator for three national exhibitions of ceramic arts at the Museum of Nebraska Art called Rendezvous. His most recent exhibition was at the Museum of Nebraska Art in 2015. Many students were influenced by his teaching, and went on to become artists and teachers and remained close friends throughout the years. https://kearneycreates.com/person/jake-jacobson/l

Jake could build or fix almost anything. He was proud of the home he built with the help of his family and loved living in the country with beautiful sunrises and sunsets. He loved observing the wildlife that passed through and was fond of the Jacobson family cats and Jean’s horses. After retirement he delved into a long-held passion for cars and was in the process of building a rat rod named Fe Rouge incorporating some of the elements from his ceramics in the design. In past days he loved visiting Colorado to back pack into the Routt Wilderness and shared his passion for hiking and backpacking with his family and friends.

Jake is survived by his wife of 52 years and three children-Benjamin, Amy, and Connor. He was preceded in death by his father and mother.

A celebration of life will be held at a later time. Memorials suggested to the Art Departments of Fort Hays State University or University of Nebraska at Kearney. Condolences may be shared online at wew.osrfh.com. Services are entrusted to O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral and Cremation Service.

Source: https://kearneyhub.com/news/local/obituaries/howard-dean-jake-jacobson-ii/article_af5a1b2e-c2a1-573c-86f4-5cf074080e34.html