Jascha Ivan Jacobson

Jascha Ivan Jacobson, born August 7, 1984 in Philadelphia, PA in the nation’s first hospital, died March 4, 2018 in New Orleans, LA surrounded by family and friends. Attended Rochester Institute of Technology for two years until Rochester winters and an internal yearning to travel drew him to explore the United States and Canada, living his motto to “Ride Free” by riding trains and finding a friendly place to stay wherever he went. A 2005 itinerary included a brief stay in New Orleans, providing the initial taste of local culture that inevitably drew him to return. He settled in New Orleans in 2007, and soon thereafter committed himself to a loving relationship with Sierra Kozman, formerly of Portland, OR.
With a mind that was a finely tuned balance of art and science, Jascha found employment as a distiller and was sought after for his skills in the local New Orleans spirits industry. He brought his skills in welding, carpentry, and construction together with his creativity and immense physical strength to many artistic and vocational projects throughout the city. Work in the construction field satisfied his desires to build and renew, and his occasional stints as a caretaker on mountaintop farmsteads in California gave him a strong and meaningful connection to the natural world. His love of bicycles drove him to build custom bikes as personal projects and more recently to find employment as a bicycle mechanic.
Jascha was a pillar in his New Orleans community, where his devoted relationship with Sierra served as a model to others. Together and alone, they were known to generously give their time and energy to support community members in times of need, to help organize parades, and to participate in community-building events such as constructing parade floats, art exhibitions, and civil demonstrations for liberal causes.
Jascha was known by family and friends to be unencumbered by convention and strong-minded in his convictions. He brought a joyous sense of style to all of his activities and defied attempts to label him with a single aesthetic. He was famously non-materialistic, for many years carrying all his worldly possessions in his rucksack, and equally known for his disregard for establishment rules. With a strong intellect and largely self-taught knowledge base, he was a formidable opponent in any debate about topics he cared about.
In addition to Sierra, Jascha Jacobson is survived by his father and mother, Peter Jacobson and Julie Wowk-Jacobson of Dresher, PA; brothers, Alex and Sam; grandfather, Robert Jacobson; grandmother, Anna Wowk; numerous uncles, aunts and cousins; and a robust New Orleans community.
In lieu of flowers, donations should be directed to the Humane Society of New Orleans at www.humaneneworleans.org.

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