Thomas David Jacobs

KD4BFQ SK

Thomas David Jacobs, 69, of Wilmington, North Carolina, passed away on October 20, 2026, after a lengthy illness. He had made Wilmington his home for 43 years.

Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, on January 21, 1957, to Harold Conn Jacobs and Mary Elizabeth Davis Jacobs, Tom attended public schools and graduated from Morgantown High School. He attended West Virginia University and graduated in 1979 with a degree in computer science.

After graduation he worked as a software developer in production roles for PPG Industries (formerly Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co.) in Shelby and Lexington, North Carolina, and for Morton Thiokol in Elkton, Maryland. He later returned to North Carolina, working for Owens Corning Glass and as a self-employed independent contractor in Wilmington.

A licensed pilot, Tom flew his single-engine Cessna with quiet competence and joy. He was an amateur astronomer and a longtime member of the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA), an international nonprofit organization for amateur radio astronomers who teach, learn, and conduct their own observations of the radio sky, with a strong presence at West Virginia’s Green Bank Observatory. He served as SARA’s treasurer. Tom was also a member of the American Astronomical Society.

As a radio amateur (KD4BFQ), he was an active member of the Azalea Coast Amateur Radio Club (AC4RC) and the New Hanover County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).

Music was a lifelong love that began in childhood. Tom maintained a richly eclectic playlist and had been a member of the Cape Fear Jazz Club, where he enjoyed the company of fellow music enthusiasts.

He was fond of camping and caravanning and was a member of the Wally Byam Airstream Club. He often traveled with his brother, Bill, sharing the open road and quiet campsites.

Tom was a stoic. He approached his illness with the same fortitude that he brought to everything in life. He never complained. He never gave up. He never quit. He accepted his world as it was and performed within those confines, resolved to “work the problem.” As Epictetus observed, “This is the price paid for peace and tranquility; and nothing is to be had for nothing.”

Tom is survived by his brother, John Jacobs (Mari Paz); his sister, Jane Jacobs Larke (Carroll); his niece, Ashley Larke Archer (Drew); and his nephews, Benjamin and Judson Larke, and Andrew (Heather) and Daniel Jacobs.

A graveside committal service will take place at East Oak Grove Cemetery on Saturday, October 31, 2026 at 11:00am with Rev. Michael Burge officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you honor Tom with a donation to SARA, Azalea Coast Amateur Radio Club (https://www.ac4rc.org/simpledono.html), or to a charity of your choice. 

Send condolences to the family online at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com.

KD4BFQ SK