Nancy Rae Jacobs

Nancy Rae Jacobs of Fairfax, Virginia died on September 18, 2026 at the age of 78. She was born Nancy Rae Feeser on December 6, 1947 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Rae and Claude Feeser. She attended Susquehanna High School and graduated in 1969 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Elementary Education. She married her high school sweetheart, William Wood Jacobs Jr, with whom she had three children, Kim, Dan, and Anne. She started her teaching career as an elementary school teacher in Chambers Hill, Pennsylvania and Chicago, Illinois and later taught preschool in Fairfax, Virginia. A dedicated teacher, Nancy spent countless hours making engaging and interactive lessons for her students. Nancy was an outgoing and determined person, a good friend, and a dedicated mother. She was a book club founder and long time member and was a member of the League of Women Voters. She was a strong supporter of democracy and the importance of voting and believed people could be taught to overcome their prejudices.

Nancy had a stroke in 1993 that led to months of rehabilitation. She relearned how to walk, learned to write with her non-dominant hand, and learned to drive with adaptations. Although she could not return to teaching after her stroke, she was able to volunteer at a preschool for many years and remained a force of nature.

Nancy’s life cannot be contained within biographical facts. Her favorite color was blue, she’d sing songs whether she knew the words or not, she’d bake a cake for you, she’d turn a stranger into a friend, she’d get up at 4:30 am to drive her turn at swimming carpool in her little blue car, if a book or a news story interested her she’d share it with her friends and family, she considered chocolate a health food, she made sure the birds had a clean birdbath to splash in, and if she didn’t believe what you told her she’d simply say “crapola”. She believed a better world is possible and inspired others to believe that too.

Nancy is survived by her husband, her two daughters and their husbands, her daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son and parents.