For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health,
to love and cherish, till death us do part.

Randy Maxwell Jacobs and Sheila Frook were married August 18, 1984 at St. Peter’s Lutheran in Brant Township surrounded by a large wedding party of family and friends. The wedding was an eventful affair both full of love and even one ill-timed fire alarm. The young couple honeymooned in Niagara Falls as well as in the community of Curve Lake around Peterborough.

It was on a blind date Randy 21 and Sheila 16 had met, although if you asked Sheila, Randy was more like a 16-year-old. Even though the date was set up Randy still had to meet Harry, Sheila’s father, prior to them heading out. So, into the barn, having arrived late, Randy tentatively went to shake the hand of his future father-in-law. Despite the date being less than ideal, it was memorable when Randy’s much-loved car stopped, and the future couple got to work together for the first time and pushed the car to safety. Despite this rough first date they went on to become a happy couple that celebrated their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary just this past August. (Which they spent at IKEA shopping with Michael.)

The Frook family welcomed Randy with open arms as the two dated, not just as Sheila’s boyfriend, but as part of the family. He had become such a welcome guest and 8th family member. Sheila’s ten-year-old sister never really understood why whenever she would sit down between them to watch movies Randy never wore his glasses. She never really understood just why they would want to be all alone in the dark to watch a movie.

As the two dated Harry and Randy had an interesting relationship, Harry found Randy very useful to test out if he needed to clear the snow from the laneway. He would hold off on clearing it until Randy’s much-loved Monte Carlo was no longer able to make it up the long laneway. This would tell him it was time to clear the snow and show him just how hard Randy would work for the heart of his daughter.

Randy came into the relationship without a lot of possessions. Yet he was amazed that the Frooks had just recently purchased a colour TV. There was, however, still a little black and white TV in the kitchen and they would gather around it to watch movies. Wow, it was the coolest thing ever. Randy would come over with what appeared to be large vinyl records and a small black machine. It would all get hooked up to the black and white tv and like magic movies would play. These too were played on the black and white TV in the Kitchen.

Randy was an only child, born to Hazel (Wiggins) and Harold Jacobs on Friday, June 2, 1961 in Hanover. He attended several schools as his family moved around quite a bit. By the time he was finishing grade eleven, he knew that was the end of his formal education. Once he left school, he made his way learning from life rather than from books. As he grew and learned in his post-school life Randy learned one important thing. He learned that when it came down to luck, his was the best kind, it wasn’t always the best, so he was never going to win the lottery, but it was never the worst either. His luck was always in the middle, so his good luck still made his life better, but his bad luck never brought him down for very long. This was the biggest lesson his second-oldest son Craig learn from Randy.

Randy was of Ojibway descent and his sons are fortunate enough to carry this fine legacy within them. His maternal aunts who had plenty of time, spoiled Randy rotten. Randy learned well how to be generous of spirit and heart and he, in turn, did everything he could to provide for his family and spoil his grandchildren rotten. Just ask them to tell you the story of Randy going to buy jam at 9:30 in the evening just for his grandchild!

Hazel and Harold separated when Randy was young, and his maternal grandfather basically raised him. He was a great influence in Randy’s life. However, if Randy was asked who his greatest influence was, he would have answered Sheila, in a heartbeat!

When Randy was just eighteen, he started a job that would become his future career. He started to work for his father Harold (Mac) picking up and transporting scrap metal, or what would be known as recycling. Randy worked for his father until the day his father passed suddenly at the age of 63. This tragic event forced Randy to strike out on his own. Through the next couple of years, with the help of Sheila, he started Jacobs Metal Recycling. The business really took off when Jim Marks from Wingham offered Randy an opportunity to work with him in Wingham. This opportunity allowed him to open a Yard and become a well know pillar of the Wingham community.

The business consisted of collecting scrap metal for recycling. At first, Randy would pick up these metals from his customers but once his yard was up and running people would come from all over to bring the scrap to him. His years working made him an expert operating his boom truck and could pick up even a pen with the large claw of the boom. Randy, much like his father before him, seemed to have a feeling the scrap metal would be big in the future, and now recycling is part of the biggest parts of today’s world.

Once Sheila and Randy were married, they lived in an apartment in Hanover for eight months. Together they then moved to Clifford and in time moved back to Hanover.  Shawn was born in 1987, Craig in 1989, Michael in 1992 and Jesse in 1996.

Randy had a good sense of humour and the boys remember him teasing them lovingly as they grew up. He would often tease Michael after he returned from swimming if he “had caught that shark yet?” or by asking him “When are you coming to work with me?” Randy also took the time to learn about the interests of his sons. From playing sports with Shawn to watching wrestling with Michael to talking about cars with Jesse.

The interest he shared with Craig was rather different than the rest, Randy and Craig didn’t share an interest so much as they shared debates. They would often end up on the opposite side of an issue and passionately fight to prove their side was right. Funny though, even if Craig did not have an opinion on a particular subject matter, he would often pick the opposite side of Randy just to have a debate.

Jesse was the most like his father. Randy was exceedingly proud of the day when Jesse knew more about tools than he did. He shared a love of cars and snowmobiles with his Dad. Jesse and Randy had many fun outings to see the cars at the track or to see the new tools at the store

Shawn didn’t take after his father in many of his interests. However, growing up he did pick up some traits from Randy. He came to both have a good work ethic and respect others that do as well. It was this trait that drives Shawn to this day. Shawn also took another valuable trait from Randy. Shawn became a family man like his father, something he had wanted all his life after seeing the good example of a family put forth by Randy.

Randy loved music – from classic rock to country but he was not a fan of pop or rap. This love extends to the soundtrack for the movie, “Rock of Ages.” Even though he had music in his soul, he did not have it in his feet as Randy was not much of a dancer. Apart from music he really liked action movies. If it was full of fights and explosions, he was happy. Then there was the “Red Green Show.” Just recently he was able to see the show live and it was definitely a highlight! Oh yeah, then there was the movie, “Smokey and the Bandit!”, one of his all-time favourites and any time his family would see this movie they thought of him.

Randy always thought of himself as shy but anyone who has ever talked to him will know this is not the case. He loved to talk with anyone, and could do so for hours, and he especially liked talking with customers, Randy was truly outgoing. The more someone engaged him, the more Randy liked it and would always respond. Some saw this as him being truly easy-going, which he was. However, underneath it all Randy was always worrying. He worried about the business and he worried about his family. This, along with the long, hard hours he put in at work, created a lot of stress for Randy.

Making decisions was not one of Randy’s favourite things to do. He often looked to Sheila for help with this. This is particularly evident in a photo of the speeches at Shawn’s wedding.

To say that Randy was the disciplinarian in the family almost sounds funny to anyone who knew Randy. The only time Craig remembers being disciplined by his father was when they were acting up at the toy store and Randy took the boys to the car. Randy was kind to all living things. He was never the type to go hunting, other than the fact that he did manage to hit seven or so deer over his lifetime, with his vehicles. One time, he even managed to hit three at the same time. He was indeed, the intrepid “Deer Hunter.”

In fact, a funny story of Randy was him letting the squirrel out of the trap his mother-in-law Nancy had set. He was supposed to have been picking up a gas can and instead he was busy with saving a squirrel. The even funnier part of the story is that Nancy didn’t even know about this until just the other day.

Randy was mechanically minded but was not a technical wizard by any stretch of the mind. He might have been the only person alive with a flip phone still. If you texted Randy, you got a phone call back.

He spent a lot of time and energy coaching the boys through hockey. Even when he became increasingly frustrated with his position as ice manager he never gave up. In fact, he was one of the longest-serving members! Randy was not much of a reader but he did enjoy reading “Auto Trader” etc. It was a sad day when that publication went online.

Randy’s food of choice was French Fries. He always dreamed of travelling across the country hitting all the fries stands along the way. He also loved his KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) but his favourite meal has always been Sheila’s Lazy Man Supper – from her mother Nancy’s recipe.

Tragically, on Wednesday, November 6, 2019 just after playing with his grandchild in the backyard and before starting to rake up the leaves Randy was taken from us, he was in his 59th year. He died the week of the thirtieth anniversary of his mother’s death, on the day of his mother’s birth and anniversary of his father-in-law Harry’s funeral. In spite of his untimely death, Randy has left a legacy on this earth that will spread happiness and cheer for years to come.

Beloved husband of Sheila (Frook). Loving father of Shawn (Syra) of Hanover, Craig of Toronto, Michael of Hanover and Jesse (Emily) of Hanover. Randy will be sadly missed by his grandchildren Lia and Skylar. Forever remembered by Sheila’s siblings, Joanne (Paul) McLaren of Chesley, Scott (Elaine) Frook of R.R. #1, Elmwood, Rosanne Frook of Hanover and Mark (Becki) Frook of R.R. #1, Elmwood as well as his mother-in-law Nancy Frook of Hanover and his nieces and nephews. Randy was predeceased by his parents Harold and Hazel (Wiggins) Jacobs and father-in-law Harry Frook.

Visitation will be held at Rhody Family Funeral Home, Chesley on Wednesday from 6 – 9 p.m. A funeral service celebrating Randy’s life will be held at St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hanover on Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 2 p.m.

Memorial donations to Children’s Hospital – London Health Sciences Centre or Supported Choices would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.