Jacobs, Verlinda (1963-2021)

JACOBS, CUMMINGS, WILLIAMS, DRAKE, SMITH

Posted By: Nettie Mae (email)
Date: 5/23/2021 at 17:43:29

Verlinda Jacobs, 57, of Clinton, IA, passed away peacefully on January 2, 2021 after a valiant fight with COVID-19. She was born to parents Patsy Cummings and Howard Williams on May 16, 1963 in Okinawa, Japan.
Verlinda attended elementary, middle, and high school in Clinton, IA graduating high school in 1981. Verlinda was a typical high schooler who loved going to football games and school dances. In those days, you could catch Verlinda buzzing around town on her beloved moped that would get her to school, sports practice, work, and home. She also loved music and played the clarinet in the high school band. Shortly after graduation, she met and married Darwin Jacobs (1984).
Over the years, the two shared many milestones and had many adventures including being the first in their respective families to go to college and obtain degrees. Darwin and Verlinda obtained Associate Degrees from Clinton Community College, Darwin in Electrical Engineering, and Verlinda in Business Administration. After obtaining her degree, Verlinda started work at Alliant (formerly Interstate Power Company). She loved working with the public and exchanging laughs and recipes with her coworkers. She worked at Alliant until her Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 1996.
Despite having MS, she remained committed to caring for her family, transitioning from working mom to stay-at-home mom. In this new role, she coordinated moves from Clinton to Pella to Holland, MI, a necessity given Darwin's job opportunities. In each new town, she continued transporting her girls to and from one sporting event to another to maintain consistency in their lives even when their town would change.
As her MS progressed, she made the decision to move to Eagle Point Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a long term care facility in Clinton, IA, surrounded by family and friends she made while growing up and working. The residents and staff alike enjoyed Verlinda's infectious smile, laughter, and sass - none of which were ever scarce. Although the MS took away a lot of her mobility and independence, it never took away her positivity and hope for a cure for MS to alleviate her suffering and the suffering of so many others.
Verlinda was preceded in death by her grandmother Christine Drake (Clinton IA), her grandson Lucky Egg Smith (Washington, DC), her husband Darwin Jacobs (Milwaukee, WI), her great aunt and uncle Pearl and Bill Smith, and her grandfather Roger Drake. She is survived by her daughter Cheryl Jacobs Smith and son-in-law Kyle Smith (Washington, DC), daughter Monica Jacobs (Westland, MI), brother Kris Cummings (Signal Hill, CA), mother Patsy Johnson, step-father Richard Johnson (Clinton, IA), father Howard Williams (San Francisco, CA), cousins Sandra Yarboro (Cleveland, OH), Bobby Anderson (Clinton, IA), Fred and Turner Cunningham (central, IA), great aunt Ruth Yarboro (Cleveland, OH), and many loving nieces, nephews, brothers-in-laws, and sister-in-law.
FUNERAL NOTICE DETAIL
The family has entrusted Lemke Funeral Home with her cremation and burial.
MEMORIAL SERVICE
En lieu of a memorial service, we are honoring Verlinda's memory by the retelling of fond stories on this website to be accessible by all of her relatives and friends, near and far, for weeks and months to come.
Please consider making a donation, in Verlinda's name, to the National Multiple Sclerosis society.
Published on January 5, 2021