Obituary: Jeanine Jacobson

Jeanine Mae Ahrens was born on Oct 22, 1940, in Yakima, Washington, to William and Erma Ahrens. Her growing-up years were mostly spent in the Gig Harbor area of Washington, where her parents owned a lumber and hardware store at the end of Henderson Inlet. Her pursuit of music began at the age of 6, when her grandmother shipped a piano from Nebraska, so Jeanine could begin lessons. In high school, she continued piano lessons, began organ lessons, and played the flute in the band. She excelled at the piano and upon entering the University of Washington, began working towards her bachelor’s degree in piano performance.

Three years into her studies, she married the love of her life, Carl Jacobson. They had dated in high school, played music together in the band and attended the university together. They had their first child, Katherine, before Carl joined the Navy, becoming a pilot, and their second daughter, Rachel, was born. Jeanine’s music career was put on hold as she and the girls followed Carl’s squadron around Europe. When Carl was deployed to the Vietnam War, Jeanine refused to sit around and worry, finding it the perfect time to finish her music degree. Carl’s Navy obligation ended, and he became a commercial pilot for Western and then Delta Airlines. Now it was his turn to follow Jeanine while she pursued a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. With her degrees, Jeanine became a professor at Cal State Northridge in Los Angeles, teaching and performing piano for 20 years.