Marie Jacobson, 84, died peacefully in her sleep at the North Shore Care Center. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren knew her as Grandma Jellybean or Grandma Lovebug. The staff at the Care Center knew her as a kind-hearted chocolate lover, with a fantastic sense of humor.
Marie was born, Aug. 27, 1932, in St. Paul. She was a resilient woman from an early age. Her mother, Sarah Heimbach, had a nervous breakdown when Marie was an infant. As a result, she was hospitalized for the remainder of Marie’s life at the State Hospital in St. Peter. Marie was raised by her loving father, Elmer and spent much time being raised by her dear Grandma Kathryn. Another difficult time occurred when her father died when Marie was 28 years old.
She graduated from Marshall University High in June 1950. Soon after, she married her high school sweetheart, William Gore. This marriage failed. Marie, always the resilient one, raised her two children Cindy and Larry while working full-time for Honeywell.
In 1962 she married Arthur Dean. Art adopted Cindy and Larry and soon after they moved to Moab, Utah where Art worked at a missile base. While there Marie learned to hunt deer, drive a Jeep and square dance. Always a great hostess, Marie was known for her great meals and neighborhood parties.
Later in life, Marie moved back to Minneapolis where she returned to work for Honeywell. She met Jim Jacobson. They were together for over 25 years. They enjoyed remodeling their house in Rogers and traveling around the world, including trips around the tip of South America, Alaska and Central America. Marie and Jim were known for putting on parties for all of Jim’s retired teaching friends. They also loved visiting their grandchildren together.
Marie was a faithful friend. Even at the beginning stages of “forgetfulness,” she would drive her best friend Betty to visit her husband in the nursing home. She also drove Jim to cancer treatments and volunteered as a reading tutor and helped to provide meals for the elderly at the Rogers Lutheran Church. She and Jim even hosted the Cook County baseball team for a barbecue at their home in Rogers.
After Jim passed, Marie spent the last seven years in Grand Marais. At the Care Center, she was known for her good sense of humor, great dance moves, bingo playing and warm smiles. The nursing home staff patiently listened as conversations were repeated over and over. She loved to put her head against Larry’s and frequently announce to the staff, “This is my son.”
She is survived by her children, Cynthia Chadwick of Salt Lake City and Larry (Elaine) Dean of Grand Marais; four grandchildren, Susan Bezzant, Jennifer (David) Holmes, Bryan Dean, and Tyler (Jessica) Dean. She also enjoyed her two great-grandkids, William and Emma Holmes, and her six stepchildren, whom she loved deeply.
Services will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais at 1 p.m. on May 5. Reception following the service.
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