Betty died peacefully in the presence of her family at the age of 92. She left a wonderful legacy as a wife, mother, artist and public servant for many of Sheboygan County's institutions dedicated to the arts, forestry and preservation. Her creativity and wonderful sense of color and harmony will live on in those who knew and loved her. Betty was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, October 9, 1922, the oldest daughter of Karl W. Braasch and Norma Louise Jack. She attended Grant Elementary School and graduated from North High School. Betty's artistic abilities drew her to the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, where she planned to study architecture. As she was too young to enter architectural school, she instead studied drawing, painting and sculpture. It was at Layton that Betty met Frank "Jake" Jacobson, the man who eventually became her best friend and husband until his death in 1995. Betty and Jake were married September 6, 1941, in Crown Point, Indiana. Betty and Jake were very active in the founding of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. As a board member of the JMKAC, Betty was instrumental in setting up the Sheboygan Arts Foundation Endowment Trust Fund to help preserve their future. In her early years at the Arts Center, Betty offered workshops in Slovenian egg dyeing, rosemaling and indigo and natural mineral textile dyeing. Betty served on and managed public relations for the Citizen's Advisory Committee on Community Development from 1966 to 1971. She was one of five members who organized and led "Trees For Sheboygan", the local tree planting that helped Sheboygan reclaim its reputation as a "Tree City", after Dutch elm disease killed most of the trees. Her persistence eventually led to the formation of a Park and Forestry Board to promote annual tree planting legislation. In the early 1970s, Betty was one of three founding members of Sheboygan County Landmarks, Ltd., an organization that researched and recognized Sheboygan County's historic buildings. Working with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Wisconsin State Historical Society, she and Jake worked tirelessly to preserve many of Sheboygan County's most beloved landmarks. Betty was chairman and editor of Touring Historic Sheboygan County, a 40-page book highlighting 230 county landmarks. From 1972 to 1975, she was chairman of the commemorative project leading Sheboygan to become the state's first bicentennial community. In 1983 Betty and Jake received Sheboygan County Landmark's first Presidential Award. Betty was also actively involved with the Town & Country Garden Club. She served as president and received The Garden Club of America's "Creative Leadership Award" in 1983. Betty was involved in the preservation of the Indian Mound Park and made the presentation of the park to the city in 1968. She had a talent for flower arranging and served as an international flower show judge. Betty and Jake founded Jacobson Advertising in 1957, an agency which over the next 50 years served a prestigious base of local, regional and national clients. Betty served as the agency's first copywriter and account executive. In the early sixties, Betty helped develop and launch one of Jacobson Advertising's first national brands, Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate. Her rosemaling and calligraphy remain the signposts of the world's leading brand of hot chocolate. Betty stayed on for 25 years as cofounder and partner until 1982 when she and Jake sold the agency to their son Tryg Jacobson and associate Jon Rost. The agency was rebranded Jacobson Rost. Upon their retirement in 1982, Betty and Jake spent winters in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Betty taught textile arts at the Instituto Allende. She thoroughly enjoyed teaching and claimed she often learned as much from her students as they learned from her. Betty was made a life member of the Garden Club of San Miguel Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, in recognition for her contributions to the club's projects. While her dreams and aspirations of becoming an architect never came to fruition, she and Jake threaded the needle for a far more important legacy. A loving family, a thriving and generous advertising agency, and the preservation of Sheboygan County's landmarks. Betty was preceded in death by her husband Frank Jacobson, her son Leif Jacobson and two sisters, Norma Jean Allison of Houston, Texas, and Christine Menard of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Betty is survived by Kristin (Richard) Bemis and their children, Jason (Heidi), Vesla (Kenny Hoeschen), Erin (Lucas Henning), Brynn (Finn Ryan), Elli (Kelvin Wu), Austen and nine great-grandchildren; Tryg (Ann Marie) Jacobson and their children, Kiera, Elizabeth and Christiana; and Lisa Jacobson (special friend, Paul Henning) and her daughter Sierra Wiseman. The family extends sincere appreciation to the Countyside Manor and Hospice Advantage caregivers who provided Betty with compassionate, sensitive and loving assistance. A private gathering for family and friends will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Betty's name are suggested to the Frank C. and Elizabeth Jacobson Fund at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. The Olson Funeral Home & Cremation Service has been entrusted with Betty's arrangements.
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