Marc
Lawrence Jacobs, 70, of Burlington, Vt., passed away on May 18, 2024,
after battling stage IV esophageal cancer since October 2023. He
passed peacefully and was surrounded by loved ones.
Marc
was born on September 21, 1953, to Sam and Ada Jacobs in West
Hartford, Conn. Following his father’s entrepreneurial spirit, he
moved to Montpelier, Vt., in the 1970s to run Charlie-O’s World
Famous, “a dive for nice people,” with his brother, Jeffrey. The
brothers started a business purchasing rental properties in
Montpelier and, later on, in Burlington. In the mid-1980s, Marc and
his wife, Jan, moved to Burlington, and with a shared love for design
and architecture, they opened Expo, a furniture and décor boutique
situated across from city hall. In 1990 Marc and Jan brought their
daughter, Anna, into the world.
Marc’s
passion was salvaging old buildings and restoring them to life as
desirable rental properties while maintaining their historical
integrity. The relationships he built with contractors, tenants and
the community brought endless fulfillment and joy to his life. Marc
will be remembered and missed by many.
Upon
his passing, some of those grieving shared the following words:
“He’s
a gem and a special person who has left a beautiful mark on the
world.”
“He’s
a gift to those who know him.”
“I
loved the guy. He was a good soul with an incredible spirit. I’ll
be lost without him…”
“He’s
an absolute infamous legend.”
“Marc
is larger than life and just a wonderful person.”
“He
always brought a smile to my face.”
“He’s
a good egg and will be missed here in Vermont.”
He
is survived by his daughter and best friend, Anna Jacobs, and her
husband, Damian Schmitt; loving partner, Roslyn Brown, and her
family; sister Andrea Wisneski and her husband, Kim; brother, Jeffrey
Jacobs, and his wife, Jody; sister Joan Kriegstein and her husband,
Henry; nieces and nephews, Vaughn and Jonah Wisneski, Adie and Sami
Kriegstein, and Jesse and Ben Jacobs; and constant companion, Ziggy.
A
private family graveside service was held on May 23, 2024, at Ahavat
Gerim Cemetery in So. Burlington, Vt.
This article appears in The Summer Preview 2024.
I am so sorry to hear of Marc’s passing. Marc always always brought a smile to my face! He was a kind, gentle soul who truly loved life. Blessings to Anna and family/friends.
My very best,
Carol Blattspieler
It saddened me to read tis. I have not seen Marc in many years but I remember working with him on many restorations.
Max Turner “Doc”
I was shocked and saddened to learn from my neighbor of Marc’s passing. He owned the rental property next door to ours for decades and was always cordial and helpful and cooperative in anything concerning both of us. Just from the few live interactions we had over the years, I could tell that he was a truly kind and humane person.
Roger Cooke
I will miss Marc very much, he was a good friend to me back in the day. He saved my butt a few times when no other friend would. He was kind, and funny.
Liesl Wulff
Marc was one of my 1st clients when I moved to Vermont over 20 years ago. I always looked forward to meeting him on a job, we did more catching up and BSing then talking about the actual work at hand and I always enjoyed it. He was one of the hardest workers I have ever known. His accomplishments are a result of just that, hard work. His philosophy was to provide a nice, well maintained place to live at a reasonable price, which will result in low maintenance tenants. It seems, for the most part, he accomplished that. I will really miss Marc, he was a good man.
Greg Ranallo
I was very saddened to hear of Marc’s passing. I did not know Marc well, only through business, but he was an absolute joy to work with. And I will miss speaking to him about “certain topics.”