Caroline (“Carol”) Bayless Jacob, widow, mother, grandmother, and dear friend to so many, was born on December 11, 1939, and died on December 15, 2020 at her beloved “Daisy Hill Farm.” She was preceded in death by her husband Theodore Anthony Jacob, Jr. Caroline is survived by her five children: Theodore Anthony Jacob, III (Monica), Amy Jacob Paul, Barnaby Bayless Jacob (Linda), Molly Jacob Angel (Douglas), and Phoebe Jacob Moore (Kathy). Carol was truly the matriarch of the family and simply “Nano” to her seventeen grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren whom she adored immensely.
Carol was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1939, and moved to Grosse Pointe after her father was stationed at Selfridge Air Force Base. She obtained an associate degree from Elmira College in New York before marrying her high school sweetheart, Ted Jacob, in 1959. Being an only child, Carol dreamed of having a big family. Ted III was born while they lived on the campus of Purdue University. Upon Ted’s graduation, they returned to Michigan to raise the rest of their five children. In 1971, Ted and Carol adventurously moved to Washington Township, where, without any prior knowledge and experience, they undertook to teach their children the responsibilities of raising and showing livestock.
A classic overachiever, Carol was a dedicated, charitable, and long-standing member of community organizations including the Rochester Women’s Club and Emeritus Groups, Rochester Community Schools Board of Education, Rochester Community House, Assistance League of Southeast Michigan, and the Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church. Proving that age is just a number, Carol showed her grandchildren how to waterski (without getting her hair wet), became a master scuba diver in her 40’s, a competitive dressage equestrian in her 50’s and when she was 73, completed the famed “Century Ride.” In her quiet time, she loved to read and knit. Carol’s commitment to family and friends was remarkable and worthy of emulation. Whether it was a Christmas party, a tennis match, euchre, bridge, or just a bourbon, Carol shared her time, her love, and her passion for living with all. She will be sorely missed.
She will rest peacefully next to her loving husband of sixty years at Mt. Vernon United Methodist Cemetery in Washington Township. A celebration of life will be held in the summer of 2021, with details to follow from the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Carol’s memory to the Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan, P.O. Box 80932, Rochester, MI 48308 or www.assistanceleague.org/southeastern-michigan/. Please sign her online guestbook and/or make donations by going to www.pixleyfh.com
