Jeffrey D. Jacobson, 53, of Williston, died Sunday, November 13th surrounded by his family at Trinity Hospital in Minot. His death was a result of a work related motor vehicle accident.

A memorial service celebrating his life will be held at 7 p.m. (Central Time) on Thursday, November 17th at the Lutheran Brethren Fellowship Church in Williston. His funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Friday, November 18th at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Elgin, ND. His burial will follow at Zion Lutheran Cemetery.

Jeff was born on February 19th, 1958 in Elgin, ND. He graduated from Century High School, Bismarck, in 1978. He moved to Williston in the late eighties and started working for Halliburton shortly thereafter.

Although Jeff was never married, he enjoyed over 20 years in his wonderful relationship with Madelene Code. In their time spent together, Jeff was quite the family guy as he regarded Madelene's children, Sara and Scott, as his own. Most summer weekends were spent boating and waterskiing with them at Trenton Lake and Lake Sakakawea. Both Sara and Scott regarded Jeff as their loyal friend who was always there for them in their time of need. As adults, they knew that Jeff was Madelene's anchor in her life being ever so constant and reliable. Their relationship was deep and long-lasting which was testament to Jeff's patience, kindness, and thoughtfulness. His loyalty to his partner was unwavering and will be greatly missed. Jeff also loved his mother, Margaret and father, Hugh, and brothers, Mark and Jim, and step-siblings Jon, J.D., and Deb. He was especially proud of his two nephews Sean and Jeremy. Jeff had a wonderful relationship with both sets of grandparents as they were very significant in his childhood. Most recently, Jeff learned the joy of being a grandfather to Sara's daughter, Mirah, age 3. Despite living far away on the East Coast, Mirah has always been the apple of Jeff's eye. He really looked forward to spending time with her flying his remote control helicopters which she found quite thrilling. Jeff also had many friends from school, and from his 20 years working at Halliburton. He was a loyal, hard working member of the Halliburton team who strived to be the best employee he could be. In short, Jeff was loved by all who were fortunate enough to be in his life. He will be dearly missed and never forgotten.

Jeff loved spending time outdoors with Madelene and their dogs, going on many camping trips together. He especially enjoyed their trips to Montana and the Black Hills of South Dakota. The highlight of his day was walking his dog after work. He found great companionship in his golden retrievers: first, with Baxter and then with Bailey. Jeff also loved working with Madelene on their beautiful property north of Williston. Together they cared for their horses with Jeff taking every opportunity to be on his tractor. During the winter months, Jeff patiently built model cars, airplanes, and boats. And when the time came, he put his great talent to work and built an amazing Victorian doll house for his granddaughter, Mirah. Jeff also enjoyed American history, RC vehicles, boating, snowmobiling, and loved classic cars.

Jeff will be deeply missed by his mother Margaret Haugrose (Fort Benton, MT), father Hugh Jacobson (Bismarck, ND), step-mother Audrey Jacobson (Bismarck, ND), and step-father Boyd Haugrose (Williston, ND); life partner Madelene Code and her son Scott Code (New York City, NY) and her daughter Sara Code-Kroll, son-in-law Nick Kroll, and granddaughter Mirah Kroll (all of Lancaster, PA); brother Jim Jacobson, his wife Sandra, their son Sean, and their son Jeremy and his family (all of Bismarck, ND); step-brother J.D. Haugrose (Williston, ND) and his children Josh and Jayde (Foxholm, ND); step-brother Jon Haugrose, his wife April, and their children Brayden and Kolton (all of Belt, MT), step-sister Deb Haugrose, her partner Ed Hanson, and their children Mike and Mitch (all of Menomonie, WI); many beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins. Lastly, he will be deeply missed by his loyal golden retriever, Bailey.

He is preceded in death by his brother Mark Jacobson, grandparents Gene and Melvin Sander Jacobson, and Bertha and Theodore Schadler.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate any donations be sent to Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota, Suite 120, 5800 Baker Road, Minnetonka, MN 55345.