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GULF STREAM — Catherine Hohenlohe Jacobus, a voracious reader and creative writer, died in Delray Beach on Dec. 21. She was 79. For the last 40-plus years, she divided her time between Florida and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, usually feeding, tending and celebrating her family members and friends.
Catherine Hohenlohe was born in 1942 in Washington, D.C., to Margaret Boyce Schulze and Alexander Hohenlohe, but grew up in New York City with her mother and stepfather, Morton Downey. She attended Marymount High School and then graduated from Manhattanville College in 1964 with a degree in English.
After college Ms. Hohenlohe worked briefly in journalism for McCall’s magazine. From 1964 until 1973, she sat on the board of Newmont Mining Co. as a principal shareholder.
In 1973, she married George H. “Jake” Jacobus and moved from Greenwich, Connecticut, to Little Rock, Arkansas.
The family moved to Florida in 1976, where she served as a board member and worked closely with the staff of the Achievement Centers for Children and Families to establish the Morton Downey Family Resource Center.
A children’s rights advocate, Mrs. Jacobus also had a passion for the arts and for education and she funded college scholarships privately for numerous young people.
She became a summer resident of Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts, in 1979 and contributed generously to the Martha’s Vineyard community over the years, including to the YMCA, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, the Island Grown Initiative, and MV Community Services.
Throughout her life, she was a generous philanthropist, supporting many causes, organizations, institutions and individuals. The Bethesda Hospital Foundation honored her as a “Woman of Grace” in 2004.
Mrs. Jacobus read voraciously for her entire life. A poet herself, she composed many rhyming bawdy verses for loved ones’ special occasions, as well as more serious work, such as the collection of almost 50 poems she was editing at the time of her death. Her creativity went beyond words: She painted pictures and furniture, arranged flowers, made elaborate wedding and birthday cakes, and crafted gorgeous beaded necklaces.
She learned the life story of almost every person with whom she came into contact, usually within minutes. When faced with disappointing news, she typically responded with a burst of profanity, surprising some, delighting others. She also loved dogs and owned many sweet and not-so-sweet canines through the years.
Mr. Jacobus died in 2013, and Mrs. Jacobus is survived by her children: Alexandra Cook and husband John Conforti; Christian H. Jacobus and wife Ashley; stepchildren: Ann Kordahl and husband James; William Jacobus and wife Crystal; Lacy Jacobus; and Todd Jacobus and wife Shana. Also grandchildren: David, Christina, and Dylan Conforti; Catherine Jacobus and Jace Nienberg; James, John, Caroline, and George Kordahl; John Ficklen; Andrew, William, and Nathaniel Jacobus; and three great-grandchildren; her brother Christian Hohenlohe and wife Nora; and her goldendoodle, Colby.
A celebration of life service was held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Delray Beach.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Achievement Centers for Children and Families Foundation at www.achievementcentersfl.org/ways-to-give.

— Obituary submitted by the family