Obituary of Thomas J. Jakubowski

Thomas J. Jakubowski Beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather; retired NYPD, proud of his Polish heritage Thomas J. Jakubowski (Jake the cop), joined his dear wife, Helen, of 65 years, in eternal peace on February 27, 2019. Born on Staten Island, he was a life-long parishioner of St Adalbert Church; his grandfather, Stanislaw, personally petitioned the Diocese to approve its creation. Tom was a 1949 graduate of Port Richmond High School. Shortly after his high school graduation, he was appointed to the Department of Sanitation, where he became a union organizer of Local 831 when John Delury was Treasurer. Together with Delury, Tom was instrumental in bringing the first Wayne Broom to Staten Island. He fulfilled his military obligation as a Seaman in the U.S. Naval Reserve. On January 1, 1953, Tom was appointed to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and assigned to the 5th Precinct, where he spent 35 ½ years of his 37 ½ year career. He prided himself on the fact that he worked "foot posts" without benefit of a radio or partner. Jake spent several years detailed to the Manhattan Bowery Project, Vera Institute for Justice. He retired in 1989. During his NYPD career, Tom was one of only 26 founding members of the NYPD Pulaski Association, which was very dear to his heart as he was proud of his Polish heritage. He served as Treasurer for many years and loved his 35 year role as "Santa Claus" for the annual Pulaski children's party. Many honors, trophies and awards were bestowed on Tom for his work in the Pulaski Association and he was selected "Pulaskian" of the year 2016. He was a member of the Frank S. Hogan District Attorney Association and was recognized by them as their man of the year in 1997. He was selected as a Grand Marshal in 2017 for the Staten Island Pulaski Parade Committee where he was an active member as well. Additionally, Tom was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP 120), the 10-13 Association and 70 year member of the Knights of Columbus. In his retirement, Tom enjoyed "treasure hunts" in the form of the estate and yard sales he frequented on weekends. He loved meeting people to "kibitz" with strangers, often sharing his memories of Staten Island and his time in the NYPD. He also loved family get-togethers or any party where he could share a funny story or a good joke. His sense of humor has been inherited by his surviving children, his daughter, Diane Darconte and his sons, Thomas R. (FDNY) and his wife, Maria Aprile, and David (FDNY) and his wife, Claire Vigar. He was the beloved "Dziadzia" to his grandchildren, Cara Velez (Anthony), Deanna Mielnicki (Dominik), and Daniel, Justin and Robert Jakubowski. Additionally, Tom is survived by his great-grandchildren, Cyrstal and Amber Velez and Noah and Jakub Mielnicki. Funeral from the Matthew Funeral Home and Cremation Services Inc., 2508 Victory Blvd will be departing on Monday at 10:15 AM. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Adalbert's RC Church 11 AM. A private cremation will follow. Family and friends may visit on Sunday, 3/3/19, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 7:00 to 9:00 PM.