It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jeff Jacobson on July 9, 2025. Jeff was
born March 12, 1962 in Walla Walla, Washington to parents Marlene Paul and Dale Jacobson.
He grew up with his three brothers Chris, Joel, and Jack, all close in age, and together they
spent countless hours fishing, skiing, and exploring eastern Washington. As a young teen, Jeff
convinced his father to let him buy a motorcycle for racing (without his mom’s knowledge), and
his enduring passion for speed led him, in high school, to a Chevy Monza with a Corvette
engine, and later a modified WRX Subaru, and finally a Tesla. While Jeff would study social
sciences, he had a strong engineering and mechanical mind – always interested in the latest
developments in new car performance and design.
Jeff attended high school in Bellevue, and spent his junior year at the American School of Paris.
He went on to Western Washington University, graduating in 1985 with a B.A. in political
science. After a period working construction and racing bikes, he entered the political science
graduate program at the University of Washington in 1987. At UW, Jeff earned his master’s
degree and became an adjunct professor, lecturing in Constitutional Law and American and
World Politics. In 1997, he made the leap to the corporate world, joining Microsoft as an editor
on the Encarta encyclopedia team.
Jeff’s deep curiosity and desire for information on a wide range of topics, made working for the
digital encyclopedia a perfect fit. He collaborated with subject matter experts from all over the
world on Encarta articles, and gained an incredible wealth of knowledge. He was inquisitive,
funny, a good story teller, and remained a teacher at heart — never tired of learning and
discussing politics, music, paleontology, and anything else others wanted to discuss. He was a
founding member of what came to be known as the Tall Men’s Book Club, developing lifelong
friendships with others who love to learn. He built a music room in his house for jam sessions,
liked to collect guitars, and, in recent years learned to build a guitar. Whatever the subject, Jeff
dove in with enthusiasm.
In 2012, Jeff took a break from the corporate world to pursue the life of an inventor. Together
with his brother Jack, Jeff started TrueCast Designs, developing numerous tools, kitchen
gadgets, and guitar accessories. Their first patent was a success and eventually sold to a
Canadian company. Jeff wrote the patent applications and spent long hours with Jack and the
engineers to develop prototypes, many of which are still in progress. Jeff had a superior ability
to focus on the details and problem-solve. While continuing to work on new product ideas, Jeff
returned to Microsoft as a consultant on the Azure team for six more years at the end of his
career. In 2013, Jeff met his life partner Bergitta and a new chapter began. They shared a love for
family, travel, star gazing, cooking together, Scrabble, and the occasional debate (as anyone
who knows Jeff knows, he was always up for a debate). They loved exploring the outdoors,
hiking, biking, and finding new eateries. Locally, visiting the troll in Lincoln Park, and spending
time on Vashon Island where they lived part-time for a year, were favorites. During the
pandemic, Jeff bought a book on the staircases of Seattle and off they went walking all over the
City in search of these hidden gems. In 2023 they took an epic trip to Switzerland and Italy,
hiking in the Alps and biking in Sardinia. In recent months, their favorite stroll was Golden
Gardens to Shilshole Marina with the beauty of the Salish Sea, the possibility of an Orca
sighting, and a stop to view the noisy sea lions. Jeff loved nature and was a keen observer of the
world around him.
Jeff cherished life and was determined to overcome a very aggressive form of prostate cancer.
He passed away in his sleep having fought with incredible strength and resolve. He is survived
by his family who surrounded him with much love: Jeff’s life partner Bergitta Trelstad, Bergitta’s
children Kirsten and Alec, his mother Marlene Kendziora, his three brothers Christian Jacobson
(Patty), Joel Jacobson (Mark), and Jack Jacobson (Liza), and many others from the extended
Jacobson and Trelstad families. Jeff is preceded in death by brother Jon Paul Jacobson, his
father Dale Jacobson, and his step-father Ken Kendziora.
A life celebration will be held for family and friends on September 13, 2025, beginning at 11:30
am in the Northwest Room at Ray’s Boathouse, 6049 Seaview Ave. NW, Seattle.