Funeral Director Susan Jacobs is celebrating 20 years as owner of Jacobson Funeral Home.  It was June 1st, 1999 that Susan had purchased Jacobson Funeral Home from funeral director and owner Dean Jacobson.  The Jacobson Funeral Home, as it has been known since the 1970s, was established in 1948 as Swanson Funeral Home, directed by Emil Swanson; then it became Wittum Funeral Home, directed by Harry Wittum for over 25 years. 

Jacobson Funeral Home remains in the same location at 200 L’Anse Ave, but the facility has taken on some structural changes over the past 20 years.  The living quarters had been converted into the arrangement area, casket selection room, and an office.  The lower level had been converted into The Sharing Room, which is a luncheon hall.  A 1,600 square foot addition was added to the chapel area, which is used for a visitation and funeral services, along with an additional handicapped entrance from the new parking lot area on the South side of the building.

“Being able to keep the continuity of traditions and services that have been offered to the community over the years has been an important part of what we continue to offer.  Throughout the years the trends in the industry have kept up to the technology of today but the way we care for families remains the same.  We provide caring and compassionate help when families need it most, along with professional services that guide people through a difficult time,” says Jacobs.

Although more people are choosing cremation as a form of disposition one thing remains the same, that is the need to say goodbye and honor their loved one.  “We find that people are still opting for viewing their loved one and having a visitation time prior to a funeral service.  These remain important aspects of the grieving process when helping families cope,” says Jacobs.  Jacobson Funeral Home offers preplanning services, along with cremation, traditional burials, green burials, memorial services, celebration of life, luncheon facilities, urns, keepsakes, and monument sales.  When honoring a veteran, Jacobson’s coordinates the military rites as well as filing for the veteran’s benefits.

Over the years Jacobson Funeral Home has implemented several services that help personalize a funeral experience for the family.  They provide video tribute DVDs, memorial blankets, keepsake personalized hankies, “Make-it-Personal” stationary, Holiday Remembrance Program with personalized dove ornaments, as well as having a website that offers online obituaries for sharing condolences, memories, social media links, and flower ordering.

Susan is a licensed funeral director in Michigan and Wisconsin, holds a limited life insurance license for selling funeral preneed, and is certified in grief counselling   She graduated from Wayne State University, Department of Mortuary Science, where she received the Beaver Edwards Restorative Art Award, the schools highest honor. Susan is a native of the Upper Peninsula, growing up in Iron Mountain, owning a funeral home there for 10 years, prior to moving to L’Anse. Susan is a former vice president and secretary/treasurer for Michigan Funeral Directors Association, District 10, and was on the grievance and ethics committee and the legislative committee for MFDA. She is a member of NFDA, National Funeral Directors Association and serves on the Michigan Mortuary Response Team. Susan formerly served on the board of directors for the Baraga County Community Foundation, Baraga County Chamber of Commerce, Memorial Hospice, and the Sacred Heart School Board.

The staff at Jacobson Funeral Home consists of Susan Jacobs, funeral director/owner, Courtney Jones, funeral director apprentice, Mike Bianco and Tom Brunet as funeral service associates.  They can be reached at 906-524-7800 or at www.jacobsonfuneralhome.com.