Obituary for David Robert Jacques
David Robert Jacques (AKA Dave or Pops) died peacefully at home on Wednesday morning, November 30, 2022 with his wife and children by his side, ending a tremendously full life and a brave and spirited 15-year battle with cancer.
David was born in St. Albans, Vermont on October 16, 1939 to Blanche Violette Jacques and Lorenzo Ferdinand Jacques. Growing up in his beloved hometown of Massena, New York, David enjoyed squirrel hunting, fishing, “frogging”, baseball, and skiing with the high school ski club. Dave always described himself as a class clown, drawing a sharp contrast to his classmate and future wife, Edith Ann Nagy, a straight-A student and future educator. His attitude toward school shifted drastically when he pursued a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Dayton. He paid for each grueling and formative semester by working summers at the Reynolds Aluminum Plant, the Robert Moses Power Dam, and Levin’s Clothing Store in Massena. As Edith began her teaching career in Kettering, OH and he began his last semester of engineering school, David asked her to be his wife. They were married in 1963 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Massena, NY.
David’s humble beginnings, undying positivity, and amicable spirit drove him to seek a level of accomplishment not measured in notoriety or power but in countless friendships, quality time, ski trips, good food, and in the beautiful homes he and Edith Ann created and kept together. He was beloved by his employees and colleagues at Ford Motor company, where he worked for 33 years, ending as a supervising engineer before “retiring”, at which point he spent a decade at Miniature Precision Components as the Director of New Business Development.
He was deeply involved in the instruction of each of his children and grandchildren in skiing, ice skating, and golf. The memories that family and friends share of ski trips to Boyne Mt/Highlands and Schuss Mt. in Michigan, Stowe and Smugglers Notch in Vermont, Whiteface Mt. in Lake Placid, Crystal Mt in Washington State, all over Colorado, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming are many. He skied like a man half his age until the winter of 2021, going so far as to become a part-time ski instructor at Vail’s Mt. Brighton. He received certification with the Professional Ski Instructors of America in his last two seasons and taught dozens of children and young skiers to bring their “pizza'' into “French fries”.
In their so-called retirement, the couple traveled often with their closest friends, deeming Italy as their favorite place away from home. They designed and built their dream home in Superior Township, MI in 2001 and maintained every corner of the beloved property meticulously for 21 years. Dave found immense joy in his membership at the neighboring Radrick Farms Golf Course, once shooting his age at 74, and achieving the same feat a week later after his birthday by shooting a 75. The friendships he built here with “the guys'' filled his life with further richness and gave him ample outlets for his mischievous side. Dave’s sense of humor and enthusiasm for a playful verbal sparring match could never be exhausted: a years-long prank streak with Ken Miller, life-sized human and dog skeletons riding shotgun in his convertible Audi TT each October, a chicken hat in his office desk, a tendency for overzealous Christmas decor, and a collection of snarky t-shirts and silly socks - he demonstrated to all how to live with lightness, levity, joy and relentless positivity.
David had a deeply personal relationship with Jesus Christ and was a life-long, devout Catholic. The bravery and optimism with which he faced his health challenges is a continued source of comfort and inspiration for his friends and family. In his final progression to the end of life, his loved ones tripped over themselves and each other in their willingness to provide care, and the house overflowed with visitors. His final three months of life were spent comfortably and relatively pain-free at home, amongst family photos, memorabilia, and grandchildrens’ artwork, next to a wall of windows that overlooked a small wetland which bursts with birds, small animals and deer and boasted an ever-shifting soundscape as the seasons progressed.
David is survived and his memory cherished by his wife of 59 years, Edith Ann Jacques; his sister, Violet Jean Nagy; his brother-in-law, Louis M. Nagy; his son, David Michael Jacques; his ex-daughter-in-law, Mary Campbell-Jacques; his daughter, Michelle Renee Turner; his son-in-law, Thomas Alan Turner; and his grandchildren, Eleanor Anne and Sarah Michelle Jacques and Jack David and Patrick Egan Turner.
A public gathering will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Ann Arbor, MI from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM on Wednesday, December 7, 2022 followed by a funeral mass at 11:30 AM at the church, then on-site interment of Dave’s cremated remains in the St. Francis Memorial Garden on the church campus, immediately following the service. A reception/luncheon will be announced at the conclusion of services, where all are welcome to come and share memories and swap stories of Dave!
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org/donate/).
David was born in St. Albans, Vermont on October 16, 1939 to Blanche Violette Jacques and Lorenzo Ferdinand Jacques. Growing up in his beloved hometown of Massena, New York, David enjoyed squirrel hunting, fishing, “frogging”, baseball, and skiing with the high school ski club. Dave always described himself as a class clown, drawing a sharp contrast to his classmate and future wife, Edith Ann Nagy, a straight-A student and future educator. His attitude toward school shifted drastically when he pursued a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Dayton. He paid for each grueling and formative semester by working summers at the Reynolds Aluminum Plant, the Robert Moses Power Dam, and Levin’s Clothing Store in Massena. As Edith began her teaching career in Kettering, OH and he began his last semester of engineering school, David asked her to be his wife. They were married in 1963 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Massena, NY.
David’s humble beginnings, undying positivity, and amicable spirit drove him to seek a level of accomplishment not measured in notoriety or power but in countless friendships, quality time, ski trips, good food, and in the beautiful homes he and Edith Ann created and kept together. He was beloved by his employees and colleagues at Ford Motor company, where he worked for 33 years, ending as a supervising engineer before “retiring”, at which point he spent a decade at Miniature Precision Components as the Director of New Business Development.
He was deeply involved in the instruction of each of his children and grandchildren in skiing, ice skating, and golf. The memories that family and friends share of ski trips to Boyne Mt/Highlands and Schuss Mt. in Michigan, Stowe and Smugglers Notch in Vermont, Whiteface Mt. in Lake Placid, Crystal Mt in Washington State, all over Colorado, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming are many. He skied like a man half his age until the winter of 2021, going so far as to become a part-time ski instructor at Vail’s Mt. Brighton. He received certification with the Professional Ski Instructors of America in his last two seasons and taught dozens of children and young skiers to bring their “pizza'' into “French fries”.
In their so-called retirement, the couple traveled often with their closest friends, deeming Italy as their favorite place away from home. They designed and built their dream home in Superior Township, MI in 2001 and maintained every corner of the beloved property meticulously for 21 years. Dave found immense joy in his membership at the neighboring Radrick Farms Golf Course, once shooting his age at 74, and achieving the same feat a week later after his birthday by shooting a 75. The friendships he built here with “the guys'' filled his life with further richness and gave him ample outlets for his mischievous side. Dave’s sense of humor and enthusiasm for a playful verbal sparring match could never be exhausted: a years-long prank streak with Ken Miller, life-sized human and dog skeletons riding shotgun in his convertible Audi TT each October, a chicken hat in his office desk, a tendency for overzealous Christmas decor, and a collection of snarky t-shirts and silly socks - he demonstrated to all how to live with lightness, levity, joy and relentless positivity.
David had a deeply personal relationship with Jesus Christ and was a life-long, devout Catholic. The bravery and optimism with which he faced his health challenges is a continued source of comfort and inspiration for his friends and family. In his final progression to the end of life, his loved ones tripped over themselves and each other in their willingness to provide care, and the house overflowed with visitors. His final three months of life were spent comfortably and relatively pain-free at home, amongst family photos, memorabilia, and grandchildrens’ artwork, next to a wall of windows that overlooked a small wetland which bursts with birds, small animals and deer and boasted an ever-shifting soundscape as the seasons progressed.
David is survived and his memory cherished by his wife of 59 years, Edith Ann Jacques; his sister, Violet Jean Nagy; his brother-in-law, Louis M. Nagy; his son, David Michael Jacques; his ex-daughter-in-law, Mary Campbell-Jacques; his daughter, Michelle Renee Turner; his son-in-law, Thomas Alan Turner; and his grandchildren, Eleanor Anne and Sarah Michelle Jacques and Jack David and Patrick Egan Turner.
A public gathering will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Ann Arbor, MI from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM on Wednesday, December 7, 2022 followed by a funeral mass at 11:30 AM at the church, then on-site interment of Dave’s cremated remains in the St. Francis Memorial Garden on the church campus, immediately following the service. A reception/luncheon will be announced at the conclusion of services, where all are welcome to come and share memories and swap stories of Dave!
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org/donate/).