Obituary and funeral service: Helen Marie Thornton Jacobs, 88, of Monroe

Helen Marie Thornton Jacobs, 88, of Monroe, Georgia, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 19, 2023.

A daughter of the rolling hills of Jackson County, Georgia, Helen was born on December 24, 1934 and grew up in Bogart, Georgia and on a family farm outside Winterville, Georgia. She graduated from Winterville High School and enjoyed a brief career before marrying her high school sweetheart in 1955. For more than 40 years, she devoted herself to serving others, raising her family wherever her family’s travels led – from Toccoa and Commerce to Grass Range, Montana, from Franklin Springs to Worcester, Massachusetts and Superior, Wisconsin – before returning to northeast Georgia and Monroe in 1968. She and her family settled in the Mount Vernon community of Walton County in 1972 and she resided there, caring for her family and home, for many years. She also joined, and was a long-time member of, Monroe First United Methodist Church.

With her sons growing up, she continued her life of service to others by volunteering at Walton County Hospital as a “Pink Lady,” a service that she both selflessly provided and loved. And with her sons (finally) out of the house, Helen turned her attention to traveling, visiting her sister in Arizona and Washington, and taking cruises and trips to Canada, England, Scotland, and Ireland. In her later years, she enjoyed road trips to the north Georgia mountains and to visit family in the Athens and Atlanta areas, gatherings with neighborhood ladies, dining out, birdwatching, gardening, enjoying the outdoors, and maintaining her home. But she reserved her greatest joy and pride for her family.
Helen was preceded in death by her parents, Opal (Wallace) and John B. Thornton of Winterville, and her sister, Janice Thornton Carlson of Peoria, Arizona.

She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Bobby Jacobs, also of Monroe; her sister, Betty Lou Patton of Winterville; her sons Ron (Diane) of Monroe, Michael of Monroe, and Chad (Julie) of Smyrna, Georgia; her grandchildren Dawn (Wes) Brown of Madison, Georgia, Kevan (Katie) Tiller of Winder, and Clara and Eleanor (“Ellie”) Jacobs of Smyrna; and numerous great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Memorial services will be held at 3:00 pm on Monday, March 27th at the Chapel of Meadows Funeral Home. There will be a visitation on Monday, March 27th from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm at Meadows Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Monroe First United Methodist Church, FISH Ministries of Monroe, or the local charity of your choice in Helen’s memory.
Meadows Funeral Home, Inc. was in charge of arrangements

Reposted courtesy of Meadows Funeral Home.