DONALD A. “DICK” JACOBSON
Donald, a retired American Airlines Captain, died on May 11, 2006 at the age of 91 in Los Altos, California after a long illness.
He was born and raised in the small town of Montrose, Kansas where his family ran a grain elevator and livestock feed business. Dick learned to fly in 1938 and made his first solo flight in a Piper J-2 at Fort Wayne, Indiana. Prior to joining American Airlines in 1941, he was a flight instructor in Arkansas training Army Air Corps cadets. Early is his airline career, he met and married stewardess/nurse Margaret Jane Davis.
He started his career with American Airlines as a first officer on the DC-3 aircraft. Upon being promoted to Captain, he volunteered for service in the Air Transport Command and flew military transport missions during World War Two. After this tour of duty, he returned to American Airlines and flew numerous airplanes during his 33-year career. In the Vietnam conflict, Dick volunteered for Military Airlift Command charters and was on the crew of the First American Airlines flight to Da Nang, Vietnam. He retired as a Captain on the Boeing 747 in 1974. After retirement, he continued to fly his personal airplane until age 83.
He is survived by Margaret Jacobson, his wife of 64 years, their son Stephen E. Jacobson of Ft. Worth, TX, daughter Mary Clare Jacobson and son-in-law Larry Cretan of Woodside, Ca; grandsons Aram Cretan of Palo Alto and Joel Cretan of Stanford; nieces Rosemary Jones Rashleigh of Grand Junction, CO and Martha Jones Clyde of Tempe, AZ; nephews James E. Jones of Tempe, AZ and J. Douglas Jones of Sandy, UT. He was predeceased by his sister Dorothy Jacobson Jones of Tempe, AZ and his parents Arthur Ralph Jacobson and Martha Beryl Dyas Jacobson of Montrose, KS.
Internment will be at the family cemetery in Montrose, KS.
In lieu of flowers, Dick requested that his friends consider making a contribution to the Grey Eagles Foundation Fund, 14600 Trinity Blvd, Suite 500, Fort Worth, TX 76155; or Pathways Hospice Foundation, 585 N. Mary Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94085, (800) 753-3071.
Arrangements under the direction of Alameda Family Funeral & Cremation
