Date of death: 8/21/2015
Saint Meinrad Class: SS 1975
Dr. William Edwin Jacobs, 80, of Decatur, formerly of Indianapolis, IN, passed away from pneumonia, following years of struggling with ParkinsonÆs disease on Friday, August 21, 2015, in Decatur Memorial Hospital surrounded by his family.Edwin was born January 19, 1935, in Indianapolis, IN, to Dr. Frank and Frances (Watt) Jacobs. He married Maria Scuderi on July 8, 1984, in Coral Gables, FL.Dr. Jacobs, known as ôEdwinö, was a 1956 graduate of Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis. Following high school, he received an appointment first to West Point and then to the Air Force Academy and served in the U.S. Air Force, including a one year tour in Japan. He was a 1960 graduate of Milligan College in Tennessee, and Vanderbilt Divinity School with a Masters of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry. Following graduation from Milligan College he was ordained August 1961 into the Christian ministry at East 49th Street Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN, and served as pastor of Christian churches in Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Florida and Illinois, retiring from his last ministry at Prairie Avenue Christian Church in Decatur, Illinois in 2000. During his ministry Dr. Jacobs traveled extensively and authored two books: Answers to Unanswered Questions and Magnificent Journey. He also earned a post graduate major in mathematics at Wayne State University.Edwin was a Captain in the Civil Air Patrol serving as a chaplain for two years. He was a member of the Korean War Veterans Association and the American Legion. He loved reading and writing books, art, and history. He will be greatly missed by family friends and parishioners alike.He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Maria; his daughter, Victoria ôVickieö Jacobs of Washington, DC; his two brothers, Rev. Dale D. Jacobs of Selbyville, DE and Dennis Jacobs of Indianapolis, IN; his sister, Sandra Broadstreet of Indianapolis, IN; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Von Jerome Jacobs and Clayton Ronald Jacobs; one sister, Valerie Price.