Robert Donnelly ‘‘Pignose Bob’’ Jacobs
On April 6, 2022, Robert Donnelly Jacobs, affectionately known in Sitka for nearly three decades as “Pignose Bob,” passed away peacefully in his sleep at a house on the beach in Bremerton, Washington. He was 65.
Bob’s memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, September 30, at Centennial Hall. All are welcome.
Bob was born on October 9, 1956, in Lancaster, California. When he was a toddler, his uncle asked him his name. “Elvis,” he replied. The rest, as they say, is the story of a genuinely extraordinary life.
His work spanned three continents and four vocations.
A career as an animation cameraman took Bob from Los Angeles to Poland to the Philippines to a galaxy far, far away and back, and during a stint on a Ralph Bakshi picture, he discovered that this is, indeed, a Cool World. Bob found his way to Sitka in the 1990s via a job at his uncle’s taxi company, then moved on to employment at the Transfer Station, where he stayed until 2019; and always, in the background and foreground, there was music.
Bob was known in Sitka primarily as a guitarist, but in his home, his history, and his life, he was much more. Music was the love of his life for half a century, and his nickname was taken from a beloved amplifier. He played at least six instruments, was a gifted harmony vocalist, an accomplished producer, a writer and composer of wonderful songs, a long time DJ at Raven Radio, and a bandmate and partner in music to many. His talent, creativity, passion, and fierce intelligence extended into multiple facets of his life. A Renaissance man, he was a brilliant writer, an excellent storyteller, a skilled mechanic, a philosopher, artist, and creator who could do just about anything he put his mind to.
Bob was a wonderful friend; a kind cynic with a wicked sense of humor and a great big, loyal heart. When conversation turned to love and loss, he had three words of advice: “remember the love.”
He is survived by a brother, a sister, and the many bandmates, collaborators, and dear ones who make up the family of his heart.
