Jacobs, Walter G. 1868-1922

JACOBS, STRETCH, EGGERTH

Posted By: Ken Johnson (email)
Date: 8/29/2004 at 12:02:10

Thursday, 14 December 1922, Guttenberg Press, p1, c2:

WALTER JACOBS.

Relatives of Walter Jacobs were informed on Monday of his death, at Chicago, Ill., which occurred at 1 a. m. on the same day.

The deceased was born in Guttenberg, Nov. 29, 1868, and lived here until he was a young man. He became a commercial traveler representing the Gotzian Shoe Co., and was also engaged in the oil business. In 1892 he located at Aberdeen, S. D., where he resided until his death. His illness was of some duration, he having undergone an operation some months ago, and at the time of his death had gone to a Chicago hospital where he passed away. He was not married, and is survived by three brothers, George M., Guttenberg, Iowa; Hugho [sic] of Dubuque; and William of Wolf Point, Mont.; also three sisters, Mrs. Werner Eggerth of Spokane, Wash.; Mrs. J. W. Stetch [Stretch] of Chicago, and Miss Addie Jacobs of Guttenberg.

Walter Jacobs was a man of high standing in the community where he resided, at the time of his death occupying the position of secretary of the chamber of commerce. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, having attained to the thirty-third degree of that order.

The bady [sic] arrived here on Tuesday and was taken to the home of Miss Addie Jacobs, where the funeral will occur Friday afternoon, Dec. 15.

Thursday, 21 December 1922, Guttenberg Press, p1, c4 and 5:

HOME TOWN PAPER TELLS WALTER G. JACOBS’ LIFE.

The funeral of Walter G. Jacobs of Aberdeen, S. D., occurred Friday afternoon of last week in this city at the home of his sister, Miss Addie Jacobs. It was attended by two representatives of Aberdeen, S. D., John Anderson and W. H. Nelson, who came to pay their last tribute to their friend. The rites of the Masonic fraternity were performed in his behalf. There were also present his brothers and sisters: Hugo of Dubuque; William and wife of Wolf Point, Idaho [sic]; Mrs. J. W. Stretch of Chicago; and Mrs. Warner [sic] Eggerth of Spokane, Wash. Below is an account of his life printed in the Aberdeen Journal of Dec. 11:

[NOTE: A photo of Walter Jacobs, in a Masonic or Shriner fez, follows.]

“Though not unexpected, the death notice of W. G. Jacobs, received from the Masonic hospital at Chicago this morning has caused a city-wide feeling of loss, for in his death every resident has lost a friend.

Walter G. Jacobs died at the Masonic hospital of Chicago, this morning at 1 a. m., according to a telegram recieved [sic] from his sister, Mrs. Mattie D. Stretch, who had attended him in his last illness. Several weeks ago Mr. Jacobs left his home in Aberdeen to seek treatment for a recurrence of an ailment that he had recieved [sic] very satisfactory treatment for several months before at the Chicago hospital. Letters written by his sister and dictated by Mr. Jacobs, were received with regularity by Aberdeen friends, most of them general friendship letters.

These letters showed a hopefulness of recovery in the same optimistic tone that Mr. Jacobs carried on his life’s work and ambitions for his home city. But notwithstanding his cheerful confidence that he would return to Aberdeen to greet friends and to spend another birthday one year hence, surrounded by them, his friends have been expecting momentarily the news of his death.

Walter George Plato Jacobs was born on November 29, 1868, at Guttenberg, Iowa, where funeral services will be held Friday afternoon.

He first made his home in Aberdeen in October 3, 1892. From that day to the day of his death he had been an ardent supporter of every effort to develope [sic] Aberdeen and the surrounding district and has been active in doing this in his appointments to many city welfare development committees.

Mr. Jacobs, as he was familiarly called by his host of friends, came to this city as a young man. He h ad made his home in Guttenberg, Iowa, until that time and as that was also the home of the Wolter brothers, who established Wolter Shoe company in Aberdeen, they sent him to this city as a shoe clerk. He worked as a clerk in the Aberdeen shoe store for a number of years and on giving up that position became traveling salesman for a shoe company of St. Paul, Minn., traveling in this territory.

In about 1906 Mr. Jacobs first centered his entire attention on the development of Aberdeen. As a charter member of the Aberdeen Commercial club he had been prominent in its organization and in the advancement it offers to Aberdeen, until his last illness.

He became secretary of the club as the first permanent appointee to that position. That was shortly after the organization of the club and the purchase of its present home at the corner of First avenue southeast and Lincoln street. He served as secretary of the club until February 15, 1913.

In his late business accomplishments is listed the organization of the Home Oil company. Mr. Jacobs established that company in Aberdeen and also developed the business in organizing several branches in this district, during his active management.

On retiring from active management of the Home Oil company in about 1920, Mr. Jacobs has not been generally engaged in business. Several months ago he accepted the receivership of the Rogers hotel on the bankruptcy filing of B. B. Aldrich. In the fall of this year he accepted a temporary position as secretary of the Commercial club, which position he held on leaving for the hospital for treatment.

His greatest prominence is perhaps within the Masonic order. A thirty-third degree Mason, his interest in late years has been centered in the activities of this body and other lodge bodies.

He became a Blue Lodge member in 1895, when he was raised to the Master Mason degree on March 28, 1895. Taking the work in both the Yorkshire and Consistory bodies of the order, he became a charter member of Yelduz temple of the Shrine in 1904.

He received the Royal Arch degree on February 19, 1901; the Knight Templar, April 25, 1907. In the consistory, degrees were taken in 1895 and in 1896, entering the Lodge of Perfection on June 26, 1895, and the Rose Croix, Kadosh [or Kaqosh] and Consistory, on January 14, 15 and 16 in 1896.

Mr. Jacobs became a Shriner in 1897, as a member of the El Riad temple at Sioux Falls, on October 1. With the establishment of Yelduz temple at Aberdeen, A. A. O. M. S., which he assisted in organizing, he became a charter member of this temple and in 1906 and 1907 presided as its illustrious potentate.

The death of Mr. Jacobs causes the first break in the potentates of the Yelduz temple and removes from the circle of the Masonic orders a life member of both the Consistory and the Shrine.

In his services to the Masonic order, Mr. Jacobs was very faithful and efficient. He served as recorder for the Shrine in the years 1909, 1910, 1911 and 1912, and as secretary and treasurer of the South Dakota Consistory No. 4, for the years of 1906 to 1916. Much of the Masonic record of Mr. Jacobs, examined today to obtain a true history of his membership, is in his handwriting and are records kept by himself in years of service.

For the past two years, 1921 and 1922, Mr. Jacobs had been one of the Yelduz delegates to the Imperial Council of the Shrine and he has served on the imperial committee of dispensations and charter in these two years.

He was also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star.

Mr. Jacobs was prominent in many other lodges of the city and state. In the Knights of Pythias he is reported to have held all the local offices and to have been a delagate [sic] to the grand lodge several times. In the U. C. T. he was also a prominent member and held the office of grand commander at one time.
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RESOLUTIONS OF RESPECT.

Hall of Prairie La Porte, Lodge Number 157, A. F. & A. M.

WHEREAS, The all wise Providence has called home Brother Walter G. Jacobs; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this lodge has suffered the loss of a true friend, whose unflagging interest in its welfare has been repeatedly evidenced, that Masonry is bereft of one of its living embodiments of its noblest tenents, [sic] and that the family has lost a true, loving and loyal brother,

RESOLVED, That we do now hereby express our profound sorrow at the loss we have sustained and tender our heartfelt sympathy to the family of the deceased,

RESOLVED, That a copy of these resolutions be spread upon the records of the lodge, a copy be sent to the home lodge of Brother Jacobs, Aberdeen, South Dakota, a copy sent to the family, and a copy to the Press for publication as a tribute to the memory of our departed brother.

Jno. P. Eckart,

A. E. Beyer,

C. W. Hunt, Committee.