Carol Jacobson-Reece passed away on, June 14, 2022

JACOBSON-REECE—Former Florence resident Carol Jacobson-Reece passed away at her home in Salem, Ore., on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. She was 71.

Carol was born in Portland, Ore., on August 8, 1950, and grew up north of Florence on the coast highway with her parents, Jack and Jo Jacobson, and sister Mary Jacobson.

She was a well-liked classmate in Florence’s public schools and an enthusiastic member of the Vikings class of 1968.

Her first child Gina (Harp) was born that same year and they would soon move to Eugene.

In 1974, Carol met the love of her life, Rick Reece. They married in 1976 and established a legacy home that welcomes everyone to this day. Across a period of six years, Carol had her next four children and stayed busy in her role as a mother.

She was also a tireless community volunteer and activist, in addition to helping many of her friends and neighbors with everything from child-rearing to material needs. Over the years she worked as a CNA, an office manager, a bakery owner and a clerk in the tiny convenience store in their neighborhood.

In 1986, she and her family moved to Salem, where she would guide her younger children through adolescence and on toward the world. The year 2001 brought a new era to Carol as her first grandchild, Margo, was born in London. Margo was soon followed by Carol’s first stateside grandchild, Jacob, who was born a few months later. Carol was as dedicated and engaged as a grandmother as she was as a mother, often traveling by herself to England or Washington, DC, to assist with her children’s children.

She developed a healthy fascination with the culture and people of Great Britain, and it is difficult to imagine her happier than when she could spend time with Rick in a National Trust cottage in Cornwall. She also enjoyed visiting her in-laws on Sanibel Island in Florida, traveling to the redwoods of Northern California, and driving around the Olympic Peninsula.

In later years, her preferred spot was the house on Mercer Lake, just north of Florence. Rick could get her there in two hours flat whenever the lake beckoned.

The granddaughter of a founder, Carol was delighted to serve as a third-generation owner and director at Sea Lion Caves. She was also a director at the Salem-based nonprofit Oregon Peaceworks.

Carol is preceded in death by both parents, John C. “Jack” Jacobson and Ada “Jo” Jacobson (Giovanetti). She was also devastated by the passing of her daughter Gina Harp in 2007. She is survived by her husband Rick, sister Mary Jacobson, sister-in-law Marigay Schopp, brother-in-law Randy Reece, son Richard Reece, daughter Dr. Sarah Reece-Stremtan (Dacian), daughter Mary Mundal (Tom), and daughter Cara. She will be deeply missed by grandchildren Margo, Jacob, Clara, William, Alexandru, Henry, Killian, Annalise and Finnegan. Nephew Jonathan Kleinow and mother-in-law Joann Reece-Hilliard were invaluable to Carol as both relatives and friends.

Burial service will occur at Pacific Sunset Cemetery at 1 p.m. on Friday, July 1, followed by a brief reception at the Jacobson family home. There will be a memorial at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 2, at Bethany Baptist Church in Salem, Ore. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Willamette Valley Hospice.