A Half-Century Of Love
Fay and
Jerry
Jacobs:
50 years
and
counting.
=-D
their wedding night at the Statler Hotel
he knew he was Mr. Right the
and honeymooned in Chicago at the
first time they met. It took
Palmer House.
him a little longer.
Today, they play bridge, golf and are
Fay and Jerry Jacobs were
active in Congregation Beth Shalom,
introduced in 1945, shortly after Jerry
where they have been members for 40
returned from Panama, where he had
years.
served in the armed forces.
The couple faced a trying time two
"It wasn't a blind date. [Friends]
years ago, when Jerry unexpectedly
brought him over to my house because
took ill while they were in Florida and
I loved to dance and he loved to dance,
underwent open-heart surgery.
so they thought it would be a nice
"Complications set in, and we had
combination," Fay said. "I had music
to stay in Florida for five months.
ready to dance, but we didn't — too
Thank God everything came out OK,"
many people."
Fay said.
Fay's family moved to Detroit from
They love more things about each
Rochester, N.Y., when she was 11. Jerry other now than at the beginning.
was born in Cleveland and raised here.
"He's a very talented, very giving
"When we met, I said to myself,
person," Fay said of her husband. "He
This is the person I'd like to marry,'"
does a lot of the cooking and shopping.
said Fay. "The way he looked and acted He's very supportive of what I do."
reminded me a lot of what my oldest
Jerry's kitchen specialties include
brother, Nelson Dembs, is like; I
pasta, vegetarian lasagna, soups and sal-
looked up to him."
ads. "He is the kind that likes to take a
Their first date came a month later
salad and make it into a fancy salad,"
at a nightclub on Fenkell Avenue,
said Fay, who can always go for blintzes
where Jerry's brother-in-law played in
and banana cream pie.
the band. "We finally danced," Fay
"I'm more of the quiet one," Jerry
recalled. "We both love to dance. We
said. "Fay is aggressive and talka-
did a lot of our courting at
tive. She does the communi-
Eastwood Gardens. A lot of
cating in the family. She
our dating was dancing."
keeps everyone in
Their favorite was the
touch. She holds
jitterbug, but they could
everyone together in
cha-cha, fox-trot,
Fay and Jerry Jacobs
her family, and even
rumba — almost any-
in mine. She is
DATE OF MARRIAGE
thing. After their first
friendly to every-
March Z 1948
date, they went out
one, has no ene-
weekly, and in
mies, is good-
NUMBER OF CHILDREN
March of 1946, Jerry
natured and will-
Three children, all married --
asked Fay to go
ing to help peo-
Lynn and Bill Davey of luntington Woods;
steady. They were
ple."
engaged in January of
Sue and Ron Jacobs of West Bloomfielc4. and
When they were
1948, and two
Darlene and Rick Rothman of Huntington Woods
first married, the
months later they tied
Jacobses lived in
NUMBER OF GRANDCHILDREN
the knot.
Detroit, and later
Six grandchildren:
But there was a
moved to Oak Park
Erin and Kara Davey, Ryan and Jason Jacobs and Marlee and
caveat. At the time, apart-
and Southfield, where
Jacob Rothman,
ments were scarce. Jerry
they lived for 20 years
told Fay he'd marry her if she
before moving to their cur-
could find them a place to live.
rent apartment in
Jerry and Fay
The next day she stayed home
Farmington Hills.
Jacobs espouse
from her job as a Navy
The key to a good, lasting
give-and-take
Department secretary and went
marriage?
"Being able to do
and togetherness.
house-hunting. Successfully.
the same things, but togeth-
Their wedding was at the
er," said Jerry.
Wilshire. "Every one of my relatives,
For Fay, the important things are
from all over, came in for that wed-
"give-and-take, an exchange of ideas.
ding," Fay recalled. In fact, so many
It's been an exciting 50 years."
people stayed at the Dembs' home that
Their children will host an anniver-
the bride slept on the couch the night
sary
party for them on May 3. ❑
LYNNE MEREDITH COHN StaffWriter before her wedding. The Jacobses spent
Fay and Jerry Jacobs
say the key to a good,
lasting marriage is teamwork.
3/20
1998
45