Cecilia Jacobsen

Cecilia M. (Ceil) Jacobsen, loving wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and friend, passed away on October 26, 2022 in Littleton, Colorado after a long, full life.

Ceil was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1937 and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a first generation American, her early years were greatly influenced by her German grandparents, whom she dearly loved. After finishing her degree at Aquinas College, Ceil moved to Denver with her sister, Patricia (d2017). Ceil spent several years working as an elementary school teacher in the Denver Public Schools before she met and eventually settled down with her husband of 51 years, Mogens (“Jake”), who predeceased her in 2014.

Ceil frequently said that her greatest joy was raising her four children, Eric (Jennifer), Krista, Britta (Charles), and Curt (Kimberly), to be strong, independent, and kind adults. Ceil taught her children everything from table manners (“Elbows off the table!”) and grammar (“This is he/she.”) to compassion (for both people and animals) and humility. Her children are grateful for everything she gave them and recognize that they are who and where they are in large part because of Ceil’s influence, support, and teachings.

Ceil loved children and had a positive and lasting impact on many young people in addition to her own children, including throughout her many years as an elementary school teacher. Later in her career, Ceil taught English as a second language to elementary school children. She loved learning about her students’ home countries and kept in touch with some of them even after they moved away. So many children were better off for having been Ceil’s students.

Ceil was, in many ways, unbreakable. When Ceil had her first bout with arthritis at an early age, doctors told her it was a chronic condition, and that she should stay in bed for the rest of her life. After a few boring and miserable days in bed, Ceil said, “Nope” and resumed her physical activities as much as she could, even though movement was sometimes excruciatingly painful. And thus began Ceil’s lifelong virtual middle finger extended toward arthritis. (Of course, it was a virtual middle finger because Ceil would never have actually extended her middle finger at anyone or anything.) Ceil never let arthritis win. She refused to take any medicine stronger than aspirin, unless the pain was unbearable, because she did not want to risk addiction. When Eric was a teenager, Ceil used to brace herself against a wall and have him push as hard as he could on her shoulder blades to re-situate them and alleviate the pain. But she never complained about her arthritis or the pain it caused; only if asked would she admit that she was having a tough day. She did not want her arthritis to affect her children’s lives.

As a parent, Ceil strove to delight her children and provide them with experiences she never had. For example, when Ceil was a little girl and would ask for a particular doll or a particular game for her birthday or Christmas, she would receive a doll or a game, but it was never the exact item she wanted. As a mother, Ceil went to great lengths to give her children every comfort, including the exact items they requested for their birthdays or Christmas.

But Ceil also avoided spoiling her children and taught them the value of hard work. If one of them wanted something between holidays, or something that exceeded the budget she had set for a holiday, she would allow that child to do extra chores to earn money, or he/she could take an advance on a future holiday’s gift budget. All of the children knew from an early age the value of money, and all of them began working at a young age. The work ethic each of Ceil’s children has today can be traced to Ceil’s careful approach to requiring her children to budget and work for the things they wanted (as opposed to the things they needed, which she always provided).

In addition, Ceil was a stickler for taking responsibility and meeting commitments. She never allowed her children to quit anything they had committed to do, no matter how much they begged for an exception. Her philosophy was that if you agreed to do something, you needed to do it, whether it was to finish the soccer season, complete your confounding eighth-grade algebra class, or survive the dreaded Cotillion season. Because of Ceil’s influence and parenting approach, all four of her children became responsible adults who meet their commitments.

Ceil loved animals and nearly always had at least one dog in her home. In addition to many spoiled-rotten dogs over the years, Ceil’s animal children included rabbits and horses. Ceil showered all of them with love and attention.

Ceil also had a sense of humor. In the 1980s, Ceil was diagnosed with a serious eye condition called “iritis” that sometimes afflicts people with arthritis. Although she worried about the potential damage she might suffer due to the condition, she didn’t mope or wallow. Instead, she decided that “Iritis” would have been a good name for a daughter, and she began addressing Krista as “Iritis.” Thankfully, the iritis cleared up with medication, and Ceil reverted to using Krista’s given name.

Ceil’s sense of humor remained intact until the end, even after Ceil was moved into hospice care for the last few weeks of her life. During those weeks, several men had wandered into her room, uninvited, at various times while the door was ajar. A couple of weeks before Ceil passed, after the caregivers had shooed the latest batch of men out of her room, they asked her what her secret was for attracting so many men. Prone on her hospital bed, Ceil deadpanned, “It must be my ‘come hither’ look.” The caregivers howled.

Ceil was known for her strong opinions. Among the things she loved were dogs, especially boxers; reading murder mysteries; dining and staying at The Broadmoor; sweets (meringues, tiramisu, creme brulee, etc.); talking with her children and grandchildren; and a good pair of warm slippers. Among the things she disliked were pizza; receiving “death flowers” after someone passed; and the song “Cecilia” by Simon & Garfunkel, so you should definitely not think of Ceil when you hear that song. Ceil was also thoughtful and very generous, regularly donating to those in need, even when her resources were limited.

In addition to being survived by her four children, Ceil is also survived by her sister, Barbara Moore of Magdalena, New Mexico, and her beloved grandchildren, Elsie (20), Jack (18), Simon (9), and Henry (6), all of whom brought her endless joy. “Grammy” loved hearing about her grandchildren’s accomplishments, seeing photos and videos of them, and visiting with them. She could not have been more proud of all of her grandchildren and loved them dearly.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 9, 2022 at 10:00 A.M at Horan & McConaty, 5303 E. County Line Road, Centennial, CO. In lieu of “death flowers,” please send memorial gifts in Ceil’s name to Ho-Bo Care Boxer Rescue: https://www.coloradogives.org/donate/HoBoCareBoxerRescue