Obituary of Stephen N. Jacoby

Stephen Jacoby, a devoted husband, proud father, ecstatic grandfather, friend and a man who lived the Rotary ethos “Service above Self” his entire life, passed away on February 7, 2020 surrounded by his family. Following college he enlisted in the Army and was trained and assigned to Turkey and the Black Sea as a part of the Army intelligence overseeing the Soviet bloc. Later in life he reestablished his connection to the military through his active work with the American Legion, first in Glastonbury, CT and later in the American Legion Post 105 in Cromwell, CT as a chaplain, vice commander. This culminated in his spearheading the dedication and completion of the Cromwell Valour Green Memorial, a beautiful tribute to service. Professionally he established himself as an insurance broker building his own successful company in East Hartford where he served generations of families. During this time he was active in the Hartford Jaycees whereby he went to Brazil as a member of a team providing medical, legal and insurance services to communities requesting assistance. He was active in Rotary in both East Hartford and beyond with Rotary International having been honored with a Paul Harris Fellow Award. After retirement he was chairman and an instructor for Rotary Leadership Institute and was an ambassador sponsoring many current members and leaders to Rotary. He was passionate about his attachment to the YMCA, lending his considerable talent to the East Hartford YMCA Board. He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline of 34 years, son Ronald and daughter in law Wanda Schenck and grandchildren Jared and Anna of CA; son Seth and daughter in law Mairead and grandchildren Brigitte and Ronan of Glastonbury, CT and step son, Douglas Jurrius and daughter in law Cynthia and grandchildren Ryan, Scott and Kevin of MD; cousins Linda Conway of West Hartford, Dr. Terry Stieglitz of Florida and Al Stieglitz of Massachusetts. He is also survived by his extended family in Germany, Jutta and Alex Haltmeier, their children including his special niece Constanze Kartje. He was predeceased by his mother, Ruth Berkal, stepfather Martin Berkal, his father, Ben Jacoby and stepmother, Terry and his late wife Brigitte Jacoby of Kronberg, Germany. Steve was known for his love of family, music, particularly the symphony, avid sports follower, enjoying years of skiing, always living life to the fullest. Steve’s life was never about himself and he had an amazing capacity to give to others. If a successful life is measured by the people one helps and touches, Steve’s life was surely one of the most successful. If you would like, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to organizations that were important to Steve: Camp Jewell, Greater Hartford YMCA or East Hartford YMCA at YMCA of Greater Hartford, 50 Statehouse Square, Hartford, CT 06103 or Goodwin University Foundation at 1 Riverside Drive, East Hartford, CT 06118. Calling Hours are Saturday, February 15 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. at Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Avenue, Glastonbury CT and a Memorial Service on Sunday, February 16 at 12:00 noon, South Congregational Church at 1301 Forbes Street, East Hartford, CT.