Obituaries are supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel.
Albert Dennis Jacobs
In San Francisco, on March 23, 2025, at age 79. Albert was the beloved son of the late Pierson and Bertha Jacobs. Dear brother of Adrienne Jacobs Miller (and Shelby Miller). Uncle of Ariyeh Benjamin Miller (Elise Miller) and Piera Willner (Joshua Willner). Great-uncle of Pearl and Sasha Miller and Judah Willner.
Albert was a proud graduate of the University of San Francisco, owned and operated his own restaurant, and was a longtime member of Ner Tamid. Albert proudly served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War.
Funeral services were held at Salem Memorial Park, in Colma.
Albert requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to San Francisco SPCA: Lockbox SF SPCA, PO BOX 744878, Los Angeles, CA 90074; or San Francisco Animal Care and Control: Friends of SFACC, c/o San Francisco Animal Care & Control, P.O. Box 7710, SF, CA 94120; or Congregation Ner Tamid, 1250 Quintara St, SF, CA 94116.
Persis Thau Knobbe
July 11, 1929–Jan. 30, 2025
Persis Knobbe passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on January 30, 2025.
A second-generation San Franciscan, Persis was born on July 11, 1929, the only child of her beloved parents, Morris and Celia Thau. She grew up in San Francisco, surrounded by an extended family of aunts, uncles, and countless cousins. Her creative talents were evident at an early age, and she excelled at violin, voice, drama, and writing.
After graduating from George Washington High School in 1948, she majored in drama at UCLA, and moved to New York in 1952 to study with Lee Strasberg at the prestigious Actors Studio. She lived at the 92nd Street Y, where she met her husband-to-be Harold Knobbe. They married in 1953 and embarked on a whirlwind trip through Europe for their honeymoon. She persuaded him to return to California to start a family, and after Harold’s military service they settled in Kentfield, where they would remain the rest of their lives.
Persis was a devoted mother to her two children, always actively involved in their activities and school organizations, where she made many lifelong friends. But throughout she continued to sing, play violin, and — most of all — write. She wrote plays and poetry, and her essays about her aging parents and her husband’s struggle with Alzheimers were published in the San Francisco Chronicle and numerous literary anthologies, including the collection “Here I Am,” which took its name from her story.
Persis was dynamic, funny, charming, and always fit and fashionable — she made an impression on everyone she met. She traveled extensively, went to the theater in New York as often as she could, and had an amazing ear for languages. Into her 90s she continued to meet weekly with her French group and to take Italian lessons, and her writers groups and book groups kept her engaged throughout her life.
Persis is preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Harold. She is survived by her son, Mitch Knobbe, and his wife, Leisa Mollett, her daughter, Alisa Wynd, and her husband, Larry Ginberg, her beloved grandchildren, Galen Knobbe (Caitlin), Rebecca Wynd, Owen Knobbe (Mary), and Jacob Wynd, great-grandsons Louis and Archie Knobbe, and many adored cousins and family members. All our love and thanks to her amazing caregiving team, and to her “daughter-by-choice” and dear friend Valerie Jacobs.
Donations are welcome to the Persis Thau Knobbe Family Fund at Jewish Family and Children’s Services.