JACOBSEN; Tage (Ted) Knudsen
November 2, 1929 ~ February 10, 2016
He was born November 2, 1929 to Frode Jacobsen and Dorthea (Knudsen) Jacobsen in Copenhagen, Denmark. School was too controlling for him by grade 8, so he quit. His Dad was having none of that and forced him to take a trade if he wanted to keep living at home free of charge. He became a cabinet maker and built his own furniture, now antiques, which are still in the family. After school, he then did a short stint in the army before traveling all over Europe and returning home. Then he applied to move to Canada on a lark and was surprised his application was accepted by the Canadian consulate. In 1953, he took a boat to Halifax and then a train to Vancouver to his new home. On arrival and looking for work, he was asked what his trade was. He did not know what a cabinet maker was in English, so when he stumbled, he was asked if he knew how to use a hammer. He said Yes, so they classified him as a carpenter and sent him north to help build the Kemano dam. Once settled, he sent a letter to Jytte Rasmussen in Copenhagen, inviting her to join him. She too came by boat and train to Vancouver where they were married on July 2, 1954. Nine months and 10 minutes later, Dennis was born, followed 18 months later by Jan. Officially, he may have been a carpenter, but he always worked at something for a living, including being a fuller brush salesman, a vacuum cleaner salesman (which he hated), insurance repairs and furniture restoration. He was also very entrepreneurial, building or renovating houses, building children's toys (Ted's Toys), or operating a second hand shop. He was a strong believer in the adage "Better to have tried and failed than never to have tried". He tried often. He lived in the Vancouver and Burnaby area until 1964, when he moved his family to Mission, BC. He bought a 10 acre property in Mission across from the golf course on Nelson Road. The house was tiny, with just two rooms and an outhouse, which was legal. He referred to it as a hamburger shack. When he started renovations and the house was expanded by more than 100%, the health inspector evicted the family because it was a requirement that new houses have indoor plumbing. That did not go over well, because that was exactly what he was trying to do. With the house finished and occupied, the dust from the golf course driveway became choking, so he asked the golf course to lay down oil on the gravel. They refused, which started the summer of the plywood signs which asked the members of the golf course to slow down. Each day, he added another sign and eventually it caught the eye of the Fraser Valley Record. Late in the summer, he created a huge sign in the middle of the field telling visitors the location and fees of a nearby competitor golf course. That did the trick and next summer, the golf course paved their driveway. He was not one to back away from a fight. He wrote many letters to the editor in Fraser Valley Record and was a thorn in the side of many. He was especially critical of people that abused children without justice. He would have loved the current movie, Spotlight, if he had been well enough to go. He would have told you to go see it. He was a Danish citizen to the end and kept many of the Danish traditions alive. He did not become a Canadian Citizen because he wanted the Danish pension and he often talked about Denmark being one of the best countries in the world. But after each visit back to Denmark, he became one of the strongest Canadian supporters you can imagine, for a few years until his memory faded and started thinking Denmark was better. Repeat. He had many Danish friends in the Lower Mainland who he thought of as family. Just a few included Bente and Svend, Alice and Frank, Eva and Einar, Corey and Bjørg, and these friends would get together often for smorgasbords, which included aquavit and beer of course. He was very kind to those less fortunate than him, included hosting foster kids on occasion, hiring the down and out to help with some of his ventures, and was also a Big Brother for many years. Predeceased by Jytte in 2011, whom he missed terribly these last 5 years, Mada, his dog and faithful companion in 2012. Øse, his sister, died in Denmark 2 months before him. Succeeded by Dennis (Jean), their two children, Heather (Wayne) and Miranda, and great grandchildren, Haley and Madison. And by Jan (Elaine) and their children Julia (Darren) and Michael as well as many nieces and nephews in Denmark. He often said he did not want a funeral unless he could attend, so there will be no service. His favorite charity was the Salvation Army. When asked if he lived in Mission all his life, he liked to say not yet. The story can now be revealed that he did, from then until the end of his life. In his wallet he carried a card that said "Please Continue! I'm a bit of a braggart myself, but once in a while I like to listen to a real professional.", and he would show the card to others he felt were bragging too much. He'll be pleased that you read this entire story without interrupting him.
Woodlawn Mission Funeral Home
(604) 826-9548
www.woodlawnfh-mission.com