John Jacob

JOHN E. JACOB, 84, of North Little Rock, died June 15, in Kansas City, Mo., where he and his wife, Jane, have been staying with their youngest daughter. He was born Aug. 28, 1931, in Jackson, Mich., to C.L and Helen Jacob. John was a graduate of Michigan State University. Shortly after graduation, he was drafted into the Army, where he served for two years in the finance department at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., and rose to the rank of Corporal. He married Jane Witham in Jackson, Mich., in 1954. They celebrated their 62nd anniversary in April. They had six children. After leaving the Army, John worked in Chicago, Ill., for Arthur Young as an accountant and later for Rheem Manufacturing, which transferred him to New Jersey in 1961. He later took a position with Johnson & Johnson, which promoted him and transferred him to North Little Rock in 1968. In 1986, John went into business for himself, opening Modern Image Systems, Inc., which offers sales and maintenance of multi-functional printers. John's son, Tim, continues to operate that Little Rock business. John was a devout Catholic and served for more than 40 years as the coordinator for the Queen of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church in Bryant, which celebrates the traditional Latin Mass. John was a member of Toastmasters International for more than 60 years, spending many years with Little Rock's High Noon Club. This year, he was given the Legacy Toastmaster award. He and his wife Jane were also long-time Shaklee distributors and active members of the Lakewood Property Owners Association, where John was an avid tennis player. John is survived by his wife Jane; children Mark (Lisa Hall) Jacob of Evanston, Ill.; Tim Jacob of Little Rock; Kathleen (Carl) Wikstrom of Benton; Paul (Rhonda Allen) Jacob of Woodbridge, Va.; Matt (Jeff Campbell) Jacob of Washington, D.C.; and Anne Adams of Kansas City, Mo.; thirteen grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; a brother, Daniel (Gayle Mogle) Jacob of Jackson, Mich.; and a brother-in-law, Philip Bannan of Westchester, Pa. John was predeceased by two sisters, Joan Bannan of Westchester, Pa., and Mary Elizabeth Jacobs of Jackson, Mich. A memorial service will be held in North Little Rock, Ark., at Smith-North Little Rock Funeral Home on Saturday, July 9 from 4-6 p.m. The family requests donations be made to Queen of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church or to Toastmasters International. Online obituary at www.SmithFamilyCares.com.