Emma Jacobsen

Emma Jacobsen passed away on October 4, 2015 in Roseville, California at the age of 91.Burial of ashes will be Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 10:15 a.m. at St Paul Lutheran Church Cemetery in Fairfield. A memorial service will follow at 11:00 a.m.Emma was born on June 20, 1924 to Jacob and Karolina (Kramer) Schmidt near Ashley, North Dakota. She was the fourth oldest of nine children. In 1937, she moved with her family to the Fairfield Bench area. She graduated from Fairfield High School in 1942 and continued to work on the family farm for the next four years. She worked for F.W. Woolworth and the Westside Safeway in Great Falls, as well as the Greenfield Grocer. In 1949, she moved to Sacramento, California working for United Grocers Wholesale House where she was a bookkeeper. It was here that she met Walter Jacobsen and they were united in marriage on May 31, 1953 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fairfield. Walter had two sons, Raymond and Barry who were 14 and 12 at the time.Emma and Walter moved to Valdez, Alaska, back to California, operated the Greenfield Grocer near Fairfield, and eventually to Westport, Washington where they resided from 1969 to 1989. During that time they bought a 40 foot commercial fishing boat and fished the Alaskan waters for nine years. In 1979, Emma went to work for Ocean Spray Cranberry, Inc. as a computer operator. She retired from Ocean Spray and they moved to Paradise, California in 1989.The Lord has always been a very important part of her life and she was very active in the Paradise Lutheran Church. There she was involved in the ladies quilting group, Martha Circle, the Senior Center Thrift Shop, annual church bazaar, and meals for the homeless. She was skilled in sewing, quilting, needle point, knitting, and crocheting. She enjoyed her yard, garden, fruit trees, and visiting with friends and neighbors.Emma is survived by her sister, Almeda Pfeifle of Power; sons Barry (Maxine) Jacobsen of Orangevale, CA and Raymond Jacobsen of Choteau; ex daughter-in-law, Faye Jacobsen, four granddaughters, two great-granddaughters, four great-grandsons, and sister-in-law Esther Schmidt all of Choteau; sisters-in-law Joan Schmidt and Carol Schmidt both of Great Falls; sister-in-law Cheri Schmidt of Fairfield; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.She was preceded in death by her parents; sister Maggie Stolte; brothers Herbert, William, Gideon, Arthur, Isedor, and Clarence; and grand-nephew Jimmy Clark Jr.