Penelope Jacobson

Penelope “Penny” Jacobson, 70, of Marshalltown, Iowa, passed away on the evening of August 4, 2023 at the Iowa River Hospice Home with her family at her side.

Services for Penny will take place on Saturday, August 12 at 10:30 a.m. at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. A visitation for family and friends will be held on Friday, August 11 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. Memorials may be directed to the family for a later designation. For additional information or to send a condolence, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234.

Born Penelope Rhyne Adkins on February 1, 1953 in Marshalltown, Iowa, she was the only child of Maxwell and Marjorie (Bolei) Adkins. After graduating from Marshalltown High School in 1970, she went on to attend the University of Iowa.

Penny was united in marriage in 1972 to Steven Goshon, and to this union was blessed with her first daughter. They made their home in Marshalltown and Cedar Falls and later divorced.

In 1978, she was united in marriage to the love of her life, Kent Jacobson. The couple was also blessed with a daughter and shared many wonderful years together until his passing in 2015.

In 1979, Penny and Kent relocated to Las Vegas, NV, where she was head of I.T. for Harrah’s Casino. She truly loved her time in Las Vegas. After 17 years there, a position at Station Casino relocated the couple to Kansas City, KS, where they lived for 20 years before she retired.

In her free time, Penny was an avid reader and enjoyed watching TV, especially MASH and True Crime like Criminal Minds. She also loved cooking and hosting parties. She played the piano and loved listening to music, her favorites including the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead. Penny had a heart for others and was very passionate about political and social justice, supporting WWII Airforce Veterans in honor of her father’s service and was an avid supporter of the Iowa School of the Blind.

Left to cherish her memory are her two daughters: Melanie Novick and Erin Jacobson; two grandchildren: Jake Novick and Edie Novick and numerous cousins.

Penny is preceded in death by her husband, Kent; her parents, Maxwell and Marjorie Adkins; maternal grandmother, Lula Bole; and paternal grandparents, James and Clara Adkins.