Obituary of John Anthony Jacobi

Dr. John Anthony Jacobi passed away at his home, surrounded by his family on Saturday, May 22, 2021.John was born in Fort Worth on December 30, 1956 to Patrick and Peggy Jacobi. He attended Saint Andrew Catholic School, and graduated from Nolan Catholic High School in 1975. While at Nolan, he met Martha (Caero), who would become his wife of over 40 years. He completed his undergraduate degree in biology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 1979, and graduated from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1983. He completed his periodontology specialty training at the University of Texas, School of Dentistry at Houston.Dr. Jacobi practiced periodontics on the west side of Fort Worth for 34 years. He provided the highest quality of compassionate care to thousands of North Texas residents. He was especially grateful for the opportunity to devote significant practice time to serving the needs of the military community.John’s Catholic faith provided the foundation upon which he built his life; all of his important life choices were guided by the Gospel teachings. He greatly valued Catholic education, and was happy to see his four children graduate from Holy Family Catholic School and Nolan Catholic High School, and to currently see his young grandchildren also attend Catholic schools. He attended weekly mass at Holy Family for over three decades, and found comfort praying a nightly rosary with his wife. John embodied the ideals of a strong Catholic role model for his children and other family members. He embraced his faith, living life to the fullest, while seeking to fulfill God’s will.Time for his children (and later, his grandchildren) was something John always had. He coached his son’s soccer and basketball teams. He spent thousands of hours on the tennis court with all four of his children. Hundreds of weekends were spent taking them to tennis tournaments across Texas. His tennis travel provided him with opportunities to visit many famous and not-so-famous places of Texas. He had encyclopedic knowledge of destinations, sites, restaurants, and the history of his favorite state.John’s interests and passions were many. Until a few years ago, he enjoyed time at his small ranch in Gordon, Texas, where he worked on the land, plowed fields, shot skeet and just spent time marveling at the rugged views and landscapes of West Texas. Hiking, fishing, swimming, and shooting were among his favorite activities. He also planned and looked forward to Sunday evening barbecues with his family.As a boy, John was a member of the Texas Boys Choir. He traveled and performed with the choir throughout the United States and Europe. His experience with the choir ignited a passion for travel and music that would remain with him for the rest of his life. He enjoyed his trips to Europe, Alaska, and the Caribbean, as much as his more laid-back travels to Big Bend, Galveston Island, or to the family favorite destination of Destin, Florida. One of his life goals was to see all the National Parks; he did not quite make it, but his trips to the National Parks were some of his favorites. During all his trips, he focused on the Catholic history and sites of the particular country or city. His trips to Rome, Lourdes, Poland and Terascon were most memorable for him.John will be remembered by his children as an awesome dad who liked to laugh, who liked to share stories, who worked hard, and who was always there for them. Most importantly, they will remember him as an encouraging father who wanted them to become the best person that they could be.John was preceded in death by his father, Patrick Jacobi, and his granddaughter, Anna Sophia Jacobi. He is survived by his wife, Martha; his children, Brian Jacobi (Adriana), Kevin Jacobi (Mary), Elizabeth Zebian, D.D.S. (Cory), and Laura Jacobi, J.D. (Daniel); his grandchildren, Nicholas, Paul, John, Claire, Catherine, James, and Andrew. He is also survived by his mother, Peggy; and his siblings, Cathy Campbell, Joseph Jacobi, JoAnn Tayman, and Mary Jane Jacobi.