As a public administration and finance consultant, Thomas L. Jacobs advised mayors in Chicago and Boston, as well as governmental entities in the Middle East and Latin America. “He was a traveling man,” said his wife, Suzanne. “He never raised his voice yet he was a very effective leader.” A longtime resident of Park Ridge, Mr. Jacobs, 85, died of a heart attack Monday, Jan. 19, at home in Des Plaines. Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Jacobs as a youth moved to Beverly. He graduated from Morgan Park High School in 1935. He received a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., in 1939, then a graduate degree with distinction in business administration from Harvard University in 1941. He began his career in market research at U.S. Steel Corp. in 1941, then was a lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1942 to 1945. For more than 40 years Mr. Jacobs worked in public sector consulting, living in Park Ridge most of that time. His first wife, Holly, died in 1961, and he remarried the following year. A member and former president of the Community Consolidated School District 64 Board, he participated in outreach programs at Park Ridge Community Church. In addition to his wife, survivors include two sons, Ted and Rob; four daughters, Judy Crampton, Susan McAninch, Peggy Thomas and Jenny Potter; a brother, Ed; a sister, Dorothy Carpenter; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A service will be held at 11 a.m. Feb. 14 in Park Ridge Community Church, 100 Courtland Ave., Park Ridge.
