Charles B. Jacobini, retired diplomat
Charles Bowman Jacobini died peacefully in his sleep Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, at his home in Lewes.
Charlie was born in Borger, Texas, July 13, 1945, to Billie (Connelley) and H. B. Jacobini. Both parents were academics. As a child Charlie lived in a number of U.S. locations and in Manila, the Philippines. He graduated from the University School, Carbondale, Ill., in 1963, received his bachelor's degree from Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., and master's from The Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy, Medford, Mass.
After working at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, Charlie realized his ambition to enter the U.S. Department of State as a foreign service officer. At State, Charlie served two tours in Vietnam and two tours in Brazil, as consular officer in Recife and Consul General in Belem. He then held State Department positions in trade policy and as an economic officer and counselor in Washington, Tokyo, Cairo, Turkey and Singapore. He retired from the Foreign Service in December 1995 and worked with Edison Mission Energy in Jakarta.
Charlie and his family returned to the United States in June 1998. Until his full retirement in 2012, Charlie held various positions relating to trade policy and intelligence analysis in both the private and public sectors, including nine months in Belgrade, assisting with the Serbian government's application to join the European Union, then several years working at State on scientific cooperation in Ukraine and other former Soviet republics. Charlie moved from Potomac, Md., to Lewes in 2016.
Mr. Jacobini was a renowned cook who loved entertaining, travel, adventure, his friends, his work and animals. But most of all, he loved his family. He had a good life, well lived.
He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Dianne (Rotte); his daughters Anne Campbell (John, Major USMC) and Caroline Nash (Daniel); and his beloved cat Hamilton. He is also survived by his mother Billie; his brother Robert; and sisters Pamela and Michelle. His father, H.B., and infant son Thomas predeceased him.
Memorial Services will be held Saturday, Jan. 13, at 2 p.m., at Bethel United Methodist Church, 129 W 4th St., Lewes. A larger service will be planned for later this spring in Washington, D.C. Arrangements are being handled by Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, Lewes.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203, or the African Wildlife Foundation at www.awf.org.
Please visit Charlie's Life Memorial Webpage and sign his online guestbook at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com.
