Ralph H. Jaakobs, 97, of Freehold Township, passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family, on Friday, November 25, 2016. Ralph was born in Washington, PA, but moved to Holland shortly thereafter, until he was 12. He then returned to the US with his parents and spent the remainder of his youth and early adulthood in New York. Ralph always had a love for books and even worked for the original Barnes and Noble in New York. He joined the US Army and served our Country during World War II. After being honorably discharged from the service, Ralph remained in the US Government in a civilian capacity, working in Personnel and Pay Management.
He married the love of his life, Mary Zaharakis, in 1961 and they were blessed with two children. In 1969 Ralph relocated his family to NJ and worked at Fort Monmouth until his retirement in 1983. Ralph was a devoted husband, wonderful father and proud grandfather. He was a hardworking family man. He loved the outdoors, taking walks and sitting outside with his wife and going to the racetrack. He was an avid reader, writer and poet. He wrote many poems and a regular newspaper column while serving in the Army. Words that come to mind when thinking of him would be proud, dignified, strong, quiet, kind, gentle, highly intelligent, honest, loyal and dependable. Ralph enjoyed a long retirement; he was a proud member of the Lion’s Club, serving a term as President of the Freehold chapter. He enjoyed spending time with his family. Ralph had a very strong heart and was blessed with a long life. He will be deeply missed, but will remain in our hearts forever.
Ralph is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Jaakobs of Freehold Township; his son, Jim Jaakobs and his wife, Sandra, of Hillsborough; his daughter, Marietta and her husband, Ronald Sage, of Wall; five grandchildren, Alyssa, Tina, Jake, Alex and Russell; and his devoted caregiver, Olga.
Visitation will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Monday, November 28, 2016 from 3:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his 11:00 AM funeral service on November 29, 2016 at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 1033 West Park Avenue, Ocean, NJ 07712. For those who desire, contributions in memory of Ralph may be made to VNA Health Group, 176 Riverside Avenue, Red Bank, NJ 07701. For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com

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