Gerhard (Jake) Jacobson of Ashburn, Virginia, passed away on February 13, 2024. Jake was born on May 28, 1928, at Terrace, Minnesota, to the late John Jacobson and Gina Aslakson Jacobson. After completing elementary years in a one-room school, he graduated from Glenwood, Minnesota, High School where he served as class president.

In 1950, Jake graduated from West Point and received a commission in the Regular Army. He served as Battery Commander during the Korean War and later as a Battalion Commander during the Vietnam War.

Jake and Ann Natalie Gandrud were married at the Glenwood Lutheran Church on August 8th, 1953, and then moved to military assignments around the world. After completing the Army Command and Staff College in 1965, Jake and Ann studied Russian for a year prior to his service as a Military Attaché in Moscow. He served in the Pentagon with the Defense Intelligence Agency with a focus on the Soviet Military and as the Inspector General for the Army Chief of Staff for Intelligence. In 1976, he retired from active duty as a Colonel. His awards include the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star, Air Medal, and the Department of Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

For the next 16 years, Jake worked for BDM Corporation where he provided support to the Defense Nuclear Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency. In 1980, Jake and Ann purchased a circa 1800 farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge which they restored and successfully placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ann and Jake traveled extensively and were both active in their church where Jake served as Council President and Trustee. He was a lifetime member of the VFW and served as Commander of his American Legion Post. He organized numerous fundraisers in support of the Legion's Boys and Girls State program. They were early supporters of the General George Marshall International Center in Leesburg where Jake served as M. C. at several Veterans Day events.

As a Rotarian, he served as an Assistant District Governor and was a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, a Paul Harris Society Member, and a Benefactor of the Rotary Foundation. As Rotary Club President, he was named the President of the Year among the 53 district clubs. A satisfying event was attending the university graduation of a single-parent boy he had mentored as part of the YMCA Big Friend/Little Friend program.

Devoted to his church, family, and country, Jake is survived by two children: Marie (Robert) Johnston of Winter Park, Florida; Paul (Gail) Jacobson of Heber City, Utah; eight grandchildren; and nine great grandchildren. Jake was preceded in death by his wife of sixty years and his daughter, Gretchen (John) Zeltner of Leesburg.

A funeral service will be conducted at 2:00 on February 28 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 605 W Market St, Leesburg, Virginia. Visitation will precede the service, starting at 1:00, and a reception will follow. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to Loudoun Cares, PO Box 83, Leesburg, VA 20178; Blue Ridge Hospice, 333 W Cork Street, Suite 405, Winchester, VA 22601; or Shepherd of the Hills Music Fund, 4090 Sudley Road, Haymarket, VA 20169.