In Memorium
July 10, 1934 - May 27, 2022
LeMonte Burton Jacobson
was born on July 10, 1934 to Walter and Muriel (Paulson) Jacobson of
Litchfield, Minnesota. LeMonte joined the Navy as a teen and served during the
Korean war aboard the U.S.S. Whitley, first as a Machinist’s Mate and then as a
Cook. After his discharge from the Navy, LeMonte met and fell in love with
Barbara Janet Maitland of Minneapolis. The two were married on November 23,
1956 after a whirlwind three-month romance. The engagement was so short that
many folks around them predicted a short marriage. The couple was determined
they would prove those folks wrong, choosing Carl Smith’s 1954 hit “Loose Talk”
as “their song.”* LeMonte and Barb had four children between the ages of one and
eight when they decided to leave Minnesota to “find peace of mind” and boarded
a train bound for Arizona in 1966. Once they left the Land of 10,000 Lakes,
LeMonte led his family on an adventure around the United States.
LeMonte was a chef by
profession, working in restaurants and country clubs across the nation.
Kitchens where Chef LeMonte (aka “Jake”) worked included the now defunct My
Brother’s Place in Glendale, AZ; the historic Pink Pony in Old Town Scottsdale
where he met Gunsmoke star Amanda Blake, a number of other actors, and famed
baseball players; the Gourmet Restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim,
CA; the Little Harbor Club in Harbor Springs, MI; Nick and Arthur’s Place in
Miami, FL; Bentley’s in Lake of the Ozarks, MO; the Treadway Inn in Lancaster,
PA; and the Chart House in Lakeville, Minnesota. LeMonte was working in Atlanta
and the family living in Chamblee, GA when they welcomed their fifth child in
1970.
The Jacobsons ventured
to run two restaurants of their own, the earliest being The Redwood Inn in
Forest Lake, MN. They later ran L & BJ’s Steakhouse in Sisseton, SD with
all five teen and young adult children on staff. As his career progressed,
LeMonte was guest chef on morning television and was in demand as a
troubleshooter for kitchens in trouble. By the time he retired, LeMonte was
Food and Beverage Director of three hotels in Killeen, Texas. As such, he was
instrumental in providing space for medical triage after the 1991 shooting at
Luby’s restaurant, for which he was awarded a certificate of thanks by the City
of Killeen. LeMonte received a number of awards for his cooking, including two
from the International Geneva Association.
Of all the states where
the family resided, Arizona was LeMonte’s favorite, so he and Barb returned for
good in 1993. In the mid-1990’s, LeMonte joined Veterans of Foreign War Post
9399 in Apache Junction, where he served two terms as Post Commander from 2007
– 2009. LeMonte and Barb were both very active in the Post and Auxiliary, with
both holding various officer and committee leader positions over the years. Two
of their daughters were also active with the organization for a number of
years, and the entire local family pitched in to run the kitchen during Big
Band Saturday Nights and New Year’s Eve events.
After retirement,
LeMonte and Barb spent a few summers running the kitchen at Spotted Horse Ranch
in Jackson Hole, Wyoming while living the rest of the year in Mesa. In
1998 LeMonte required emergency vascular surgery while in Jackson Hole. Once
back in Arizona, LeMonte began working for Mesa Schools serving lunches to high
school students at Westwood. In 2008, he transferred to Skyline where three of
his grandchildren would graduate. He finally fully retired in 2010 after the death of his beloved wife, Barbara. LeMonte and Barbara really did show those
who thought their marriage would be short-lived how wrong they were. They
celebrated their 54th Wedding Anniversary in 2010, just three weeks before Barb’s
death.
LeMonte Jacobson left
this world shortly before midnight on Friday, May 27 after a short time in
hospice care. He was 87. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother
Marlyn, and the love of his life, Barbara. He is survived by his sisters
Crystal Osterberg and Joann (Joseph) Nesser, his children Suzanne (William)
Cherry, Sally Marvaino, Jane (Sherman) Rogers, Charles (Becky) Jacobson, and
Matthew “Jake” (Stephanie Bennett ) Jacobson. His legacy includes 15
grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will
be held on Father’s Day June 19 at 5:30 pm at the VFW Post 9399, followed by a
potluck supper. The Post is located at 133 N. Saguaro, Apache Junction, AZ
85120. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the
VFW Foundation in honor of LeMonte B. Jacobson at https://www.vfw.org/foundation or
to Hospice of the West at https://hospicewestaz.com/make_a_donation.php
*On LeMonte and Barb's 50th Wedding Anniversary, their children and grandchildren presented the following video. The song "Loose Talk" was written by Ann Lucas and Freddy Hart in 1954, and recorded by Carl Smith that same year. According to Joel Whitbum in his 2004 book The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006 . It was at the top spot of the Billboard country and western chart for seven weeks and held on for a total of 32 weeks. It has been covered by a number of Country artists, including Patsy Cline. Barb and LeMonte often sang this song together during family "jam sessions." The lyrics are below the video for those who are curious.
