Walter Jacoby

Walter Charles Jacoby, 96, died Feb. 24, 2008, after a short illness.

He was born Sept. 13, 1911, in Whitefish. Walter learned early to love outdoors and fishing. His parents, Bernard G. and Cora (Corbin) Jacoby, raised Walt and his three brothers and two sisters in Whitefish.

After high school, he attended Montana State University in Bozeman, where he met his wife to be, Jeannette Isbell. In 1933, with his bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering in hand, he landed a job at the Crown Zellerbach Paper Co. in Camas, Wash., where he lived with his Uncle Phil and Aunt Lottie Jacoby.

In August 1934, Jeannette arrived from Bozeman on the train, and they were married. As a young man, Walter climbed Mt. Hood. They lived in Camas until 1956, when he was transferred to St. Helens, Ore. A few years later, he and Jeannette moved to Menlo Park, Calif., where he worked for the main office of Crown Zellerbach in San Francisco as manager of specialty papers.

Following his wife's death in 1986, Walter married Leona (Gresz) Geprich and lived winters in Florida and summers in Menlo Park. They enjoyed travel and card games together. After Leona's death in 1996, Walt moved back north to be near his family.

He was preceded in death by his wife Jeannette; his second wife Leona; brothers Bob and Bernard Jacoby; nephews Matt Look and Bob Jacoby; and grandson David Walter Heacock.

He is survived by his daughter Claudia Heacock and husband Don, of Camas; sisters Dorothy Sparrell and husband Marvin, of Boise, Idaho, and Mary Jo Look and husband Bob, of Whitefish; brother Altie Jacoby and wife Barbara, of Wisconsin; grandchildren Stephen Heacock and wife Sally, of Kingston, Wash., Greg Heacock and wife Louise and their daughters Phoebe and Ellen, of Auburn, Wash., Terry Tucker and husband James and their children Deena, Michael, Renae and husband Kevin Clark, Lisa and Jacob, of Camas, and Suzanne Chandler and husband Dean and their children Allan and Casey, of Renton, Wash.

Services for Walt will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Camas.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the John Paul II Center for Life, 534 NE Everett Street, Camas WA 98607.