Celebration of Life for Luverne A. "Jake" Jacobson

Saturday, June 13, 2026, 1pm at Zoar Lutheran Church, Canby, OR

The service is available to view on our YouTube channel: CLICK HERE

Luverne Alan Jacobson

July 7, 1937-March 22, 2026

The Reverend Luverne A. Jacobson (Pastor Jake), beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, pastor and friend, died peacefully at home March 22, 2026. Jake was born July 7, 1937, in Faribault, Minnesota, the son of Loyal Jacobson and Alma (Hostager) Jacobson. He was raised on a farm in Kenyon, Minnesota. Jake attended Dovre Country School ½ mile from his home for eight years before transferring to Kenyon High School. He graduated from Kenyon HS in 1955. He was recently inducted into the Kenyon HS Hall of Fame for his participation on the Kenyon football team.

Jake graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN in 1959, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in English. He then attended and graduated from Luther Theological Seminary in 1963 with a Masters of Theology Degree and was ordained into the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) at Holden Lutheran Church in Kenyon, MN. Pastor Jake served congregations in McGregor and Riverdale, North Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Clear Lake, Iowa before moving to Canby, Oregon with his family in 1979. He served as Pastor at Zoar Lutheran Church in Canby from 1979-1997, and later served as an interim minister at Bremerton and Ephrata, WA, as well as Gresham, Oregon City, and Warren, Oregon, retiring in 2004. Some of his career highlights and most loved moments involved youth and experiential ministry, with motorcycle Bible camp, confirmation trips to the Badlands in North Dakota, youth trips backpacking in the Black Hills in South Dakota, Tetons and Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming, Glacier National Park, and in various mountain areas in the Pacific Northwest. His love of music, especially jazz music, was a big part of his life and a part of his work repertoire as well.

Jake met his wife Pat (Patricia Tweten) when he was attending Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, while she was a nursing student at Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing in nearby Minneapolis. They were married in Rolette, ND on November 10, 1962 and remained married until his passing in 2026.

Jake’s retirement years involved a love of travel to the Midwest to visit family and friends, and trips to the San Juan Islands in WA. He grew to love sailing while in Clear Lake, IA and later transferred his skills to the Columbia River. He enjoyed later trips to Europe, cruising to Alaska, and visits to the Mediterranean and Mexico. He always looked forward to gatherings around the dinner table with family and friends where he would share a story, jokes, and his favorite saying was, “You know, I am an English major…”

Jake is survived by a loving family that includes his wife Pat, his sister Virgie Jacobson, his daughter Julie and son-in-law Rick Aiken, and his son Craig and his wife Kendra. He is survived by grandchildren Spencer, Isaac, and Parker Aiken, as well as Noah and Caleb Jacobson. Our family thanks you for your many expressions of care and support that have uplifted us in the past few months. In lieu of flowers, our family asks that remembrances be made in support of youth college scholarships through Zoar Lutheran Church in Canby and Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland.

Celebration of Life for Luverne A. "Jake" Jacobson