TFN elder passes
The Tsawwassen First Nation lost one of its beloved elders last month.
A funeral service with military honours was held in honour of Frederick ‘Rick’ Jacobs, 89, who passed away Feb. 17.
Jacobs, a decorated veteran during the Second World War, joined the Regina Rifles, a group known as the ‘Farmer Johns’ because the bulk of the corps was made up of farm labourers from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It also had one of the largest complements of Metis and First Nations soldiers.
Jacobs was determined to serve during the war in part for what his father said would earn him respect when he returned home.
“My father told me that although it was against his wishes, he wanted me to join up. He said, ‘If you don’t go overseas a lot of people back here at home will look at you differently,’” said Jacobs in an interview in the Leader from 2002 that celebrated local veterans. “My father also told me that I had to go out and see the world. Dad was like that himself. He never stayed on the reserve much of his life. He traveled all around and saw much and learned more."
Jacobs also served as TFN chief during the 1950s when the BC Ferries Tsawwassen Terminal and causeway were constructed through the band's property.
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