Obituary of Gloria "Sugar" Joy Jacobson

Gloria was born to Merle and June McAdams on July 30th, 1938. She grew up in Springfield, Oregon along with her younger siblings Joanne Hendrickson and Ronald McAdams. Her relatives nicknamed her “Sugar,” a fitting name for her sweet disposition. In her earlier years, Gloria enjoyed participating in dance and tumbling. Shortly after graduating from Springfield High School, she met her soon-to-be husband, James (Jim) Jacobson. Their first date was at the old bowling alley on Willamette Street. One date led to the next, and they were married on March 21st, 1959. Prior to starting their family in 1962, she worked as a dental hygienist. After adopting their first son Ron, in 1962, she took on the role of head bookkeeper for Jim’s auto repair business in Alvadore. Dan was adopted in 1967 completing the family. Gloria continued to run the books for the Alvadore Garage until Jim retired in 2005.

Her strong faith was a central part of who she was and showed through in both her joy and resolve through challenging times. She was a regular member of the Alvadore Christian Church and NW Faith Center. Here, Gloria was inspired to learn sign language and became proficient at it. She felt this was a ministry she could be of service to those without hearing. She was also an active, long-time member of the Alvadore Thursday Club, where she met monthly with Alvadore women whom she formed deep bonds with over the years. Gloria had many interests, one of her greatest was cooking. Her mother-in-law, Mary Jacobson, taught her how to bake and she quickly took to it. Over the years, she became known as the person who would bake at least eight delicious pies for Thanksgiving each year that everyone looked forward to. She had a love for animals of all types, especially her cats. During the spring and summer, you would regularly see Gloria gardening in her yard. She maintained an array of plants in her garden and always had the most beautiful hanging flower baskets on her porch. Gloria participated in a bowling league, enjoyed water exercise classes at the Echo Hollow Pool and was a committed walker around the roads of Alvadore.

In addition to her various interests, Gloria’s true love in life was her family, and she spent most of her time supporting the endeavors of her husband and children. She is survived by her husband James, her sons Ronald and Daniel, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, her sister Joanne, and her brother Ronald. A memorial service will be held at the Alvadore Christian Church on Saturday, November 11th at 1:00PM. Gloria will be missed, always loved, but never forgotten. She is now with her Savior forever more.