AUGUSTA, GA - Mrs. Vola O’Connor Jacobs, 92, died Saturday, May 29, 2010, at her home. A Vigil for the Deceased will be held at 7 pm on Tuesday, June 1st at St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church. The family will receive friends following the service. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11a.m. on Wednesday, June 2nd at the church. Burial will follow at Westover Memorial Park.
Mrs. Jacobs was born June 2, 1917 in Augusta, the seventh of nine children born to Vola Benson and Daniel Patrick O’Connor. She attended Mount Saint Joseph Elementary and High School and was a lifelong member of St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church where she served as the choir’s organist for 20 years.
Mrs. Jacobs began playing the piano at four years of age and had her first public recital at the age of seven in Atlanta. She graduated from the Eastman School of Music where she met her future husband, Harry Jacobs. She also completed postgraduate study in piano performance at Julliard School in New York. Mrs. Jacobs performed as soloist for many orchestras including the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, and the Augusta Orchestra, which her husband founded and conducted for over 30 years.
She served as advisor for the Cleon W. Mauldin Foundation since its inception in 1999, and through the foundation and her personal efforts, she supported the arts community for over 60 years.
Mrs. Jacobs was a superb musician, extraordinary pianist, and dedicated and beloved teacher. Her contributions to music in the CSRA are immeasurable. She taught generations of music students at her home, at the Augusta Academy of Music, and at Augusta State University, where she a member of the faculty of 28 years. She was honored at the Music Department’s Annual Gala Concert where it was said that she”personified the idea of music making”. She loved teaching and was a long-time friend to Augusta State University. She was an advisor to the Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Society, which will be presenting its 20th year of programming this year.
Above all, Mrs. Jacobs was a devoted wife and mother. She is survived by her five children, Milton Daniel Jacobs (Beverly), Mary Jacobs Grille, Harry Anthony Jacobs, James Benson Jacobs (Polly), Julia Jacobs Blalock (Clarence); 14 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren; her sister, Reba Greene and numerous nieces and nephews.