Jacobs, Adèle Philomène Péron

Adèle Philomène Péron Jacobs (07/07/1928-11/16/2023) cross-country skied until she was 88 years old. For the entirety of her life, she taught others to take in the sunshine, feel the wind on their faces, and cherish the natural world. Born to French-Canadian Protestant parents in Montréal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, she was a joyful, determined, educated woman. Also a talented gardener and artist, Adèle instinctively made her surrounding world more beautiful.

Educated in French-speaking convents in grade school, and later at English-speaking McGill University, Adèle was an expert French grammarian; her bilingual point of view led her to friendships and skills she would honor for the rest of her life. In 1953, she married Scottish-Canadian Ross D. Jacobs, a McGill-trained PhD biochemist, in Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu, Québec. They later moved to Rouses Point, Los Angeles, Syracuse, Oslo, and Henderson Harbor during a 49-year marriage. In Syracuse, Adèle raised her four children, volunteered for local hospitals, was an active participant in St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, and was a substitute French teacher in the Jamesville-DeWitt school system. In the 1980s, Adèle and Ross designed and built a truly unique, passive solar retirement house in Henderson Harbor, which they named after Yeats’s poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.” There they enjoyed several golden years of sailing, gardening, volunteering, and welcoming others to their inspirational home. 

After Ross’s sudden death in 2002, Adèle spent 15 courageous years at Innisfree. Her deep friendships and participation in Etude, the Garden Club, Henderson Harbor Yacht Club, and the Henderson Free Library Board helped fill those lonely years; she was a treasured friend and member. In 2017, Adèle moved to Rochester, NY, to be closer to family. She is predeceased by her brothers, René E.S. Péron and Fernand G. Péron. She is survived by: daughter Jacqueline Jacobs (Dan Holzman), daughter Caroline Liquori (Martin), son Ross C. Jacobs (Anne), and daughter Andrée Jacobs-Perkins (Douglas); nine strong, beautiful grandchildren: Ben, Emily, Eli, Nic, Andrew, Matt, Chris, Erica, and Annie; and eight adorable great-grandchildren: Aidan, Ethan, Greyson, Deanna, Zoe, Charlie, Robin, and Baby.

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Thanks Mom, and Dad, for sharing with us your love of the earth, water, wind, and sky. And dogs.

“Partout où la vie vous plante, fleurissez avec grâce.”  Translation :  “Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.”  — Old French Proverb.

In lieu of flowers, and in memory of Adèle, contributions may be made to:

https://tilandtrust.org/

Home – Save The River! Thousand Islands – Clayton NY on the St. Lawrence River

https://www.americanbrainfoundation.org/

An Episcopal service, local to Henderson Harbor and honoring Adèle, will occur in the Spring. More details to follow.