Jean J. Jacobsen

Jean J. Jacobsen, 76, passed away on September 19, 2014, while a resident of Sanford Continuing Care Center in Mandan. She fought cancer for the past year and a half. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 10:30 AM at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bismarck with Rev. Craig Schweitzer officiating. Serving as honorary pallbearers are her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Burial will be at the ND Veterans Cemetery at 1:00 PM. The family will greet visitors on Tuesday from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, and a prayer service will begin at 7:00 PM. Jean Heim Jacobsen, daughter of Emil and Pauline Stern Heim was born on April 1, 1938, at the family home of her grandparents on the Heim homestead, two miles east of New Leipzig, ND. The first four years of Jean's life were spent on the Heim homestead. The next two years the Heim family moved to the Bill Oelke farm southwest of New Leipzig, near the Cannonball River. In the spring of 1942, the family moved to a farm north of New Leipzig. Here Jean grew up and took an interest in farming along with her father. Her mother taught her gardening, which Jean enjoyed throughout her lifetime. Jean attended school at the New Leipzig Public School, graduating with the class of 1956. In her senior year she was selected at Homecoming Queen. In the fall of 1956, Jean, desiring to further her education, enrolled in the Bismarck Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1959 and having passed her state board exams, she began working at the Bismarck Hospital as a registered nurse. While she was attending nursing school, she met John Jacobsen, a pharmacist at Bismarck Hospital. Jean and John were married on October 24, 1959, the day of her parent's wedding day at the Immanuel Lutheran Church at New Leipzig, where Jean was baptized and confirmed. Jean and John have made their home at Bismarck since their marriage. They both continued their employment at Bismarck Hospital and then MedCenter One until their retirement. Jean was proud of being a registered nurse. She was well respected by others as a nurse that cared for her patients. Jean and John both retired in 1998 about the time Jean was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which she beat. Then the two of them went into retirement. During retirement, Jean and John traveled frequently on cruises and driving trips to Nashville, Milwaukee, WI, Reno, NV, Hawaii, and visited many national parks. One of their favorite things they did together was to volunteer at Medora for the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, which they did for a number of years. She also volunteered at her church, Good Shepherd Lutheran, for many years. Jean was happy to spend time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Jean was a member of the VFW Auxiliary to VFW Post 1326. Jean became proficient at the computer. Creating family PowerPoint shows was one of her favorite things to do on the computer along with keeping in touch friends and relatives. She loved surfing the internet. She was happy when she was working in the yard tending her plants and flowers. Jean also enjoyed her trips to Prairie Knights Casino. Jean is survived by her husband of 54 years, John; her mother, Pauline Heim, New Leipzig, ND; her sister, Shirley Edmund Gruebele, New Leipzig, ND; her daughters, Karen Schatz, Bismarck, and Lynda Hopfauf, Mandan; her son, Brian Tracy Jacobsen, Fargo, ND; her grandchildren, Brittany Rob Trotter, Bismarck, Arin Schatz, Bismarck, Brandon Lee, Watford City, and Jordan Lee, Minot, Jacquelyn Nick Giobres, Fargo, ND, and Kirsten Andy Knaus, Fargo, ND; and seven great-grandchildren. Preceding her in death are her father, Emil Heim; and her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Rachel and Eric Jacobsen. Memorials may be directed to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, or to Sanford Health Systems College of Nursing.

Jean J. Jacobsen

April 1, 1938 - September 19, 2014