Gloria Jacobs

During the early hours of Monday, November 26, 2018, Gloria Jacobs, my dear friend, went to be with Jesus. This is a great loss to Vickie and me. While I have known Gloria since around 1989 or 1990, during the past seven years Gloria and I became exceptionally close as business colleagues and friends – as I reflect back on this, when I began working with her in 2011 we became instant friends – it was as if we had a shared history and already knew each other.

Gloria touched hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. The tears that were shed when news of her passing was relayed were many and they are still flowing.

Her relationship with Jesus Christ entered a new depth after her retirement; she read the Bible through and then said to me, “Why did I wait so long to do this?” Then she started to read it through again. While we worked together (we had adjacent offices) we had many times of prayer. These times continued during her retirement, and then mine, over the phone. I used to talk to her at least once a week; usually calling her after my Tuesday- morning men’s group. This past Tuesday felt different with no Gloria to call.

Gloria was always looking out for the disenfranchised, the people without a voice. She cared for her employees deeply, and while holding them accountable was kind and generous. If you worked for Gloria you were pretty much adopted into her family.

Gloria had the ability to interact with wealthy clients, and to politely but firmly ask drug dealers to move their business off her properties. She had properties in some of the most dangerous areas of Richmond; the good people were glad to see her and the bad people gave her room and moved away from her.

There is so much more I could say, some of which I’ll share at her memorial service this Saturday. She loved her husband Jake and daughter Susan, and was devoted to them. I am blessed that she also loved Vickie and me and that she adopted us into her family.

As you view the photo, Gloria is on my left, Deb Eure on my right. This was taken at my retirement luncheon about a year ago. Both of these women have had a powerful impact on my life - all three of us love Jesus.