Helen Nichols Jacobs

Hoosick – Helen Nichols Jacobs died peacefully in her home in Paramus, NJ, on August 11, 2013. She had painted the Hoosick hills with her daughter, Hoosick, NY, resident and businesswoman Barbara Sussman, for over thirty years.
Helen grew up in a world of art and artists. Born in Kent, CT, on February 16, 1924, she was the daughter of Spencer Baird Nichols, a member of The National Academy of Design who served as the Chief Designer for the Tiffany Studios and executed ethereal book illustrations for Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and others. She is a granddaughter of Henry Hobart Nichols, an eminent wood engraver in Washington, DC, during and after the Civil War, who illustrated The Three Volume Edition North American Birds, published by Baird, Brewer and Ridgeway in 1874 and Powell’s Exploration of the Colorado River, in 1869. Her uncle Hobart was also an academician who was a leader of artists and administrator of key arts organizations which included the The National Academy of Design, The Tiffany Foundation and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2010, an important exhibition, “The Nichols Brothers– a dialogue of life and art,” was organized and held at Concordia College, in Bronxville, NY.
Helen’s family on both sides were early settlers in America. She is a direct descendant of the Rev. Richard Mather who came to New England in 1636. Her mother, Helen Agnes (Mather) Nichols, grew up in South Dakota on land her parents staked out when the territory opened.
Helen was educated in Bronxville, NY, and Kent, CT. She graduated from Marot Jr. College in Thompson, CT. She worked in the Pentagon as a secretary during WW II.
A 60 year resident of Paramus, Helen was an artist, well known for her award winning still-lifes and landscape oil paintings. Helen taught at the Ridgewood Art Institute for over twenty five years, having studied under the influence of Arthur Maynard. Helen is an elected member of the Kent Art Association and the Hudson Valley Artists Association, a fellow of the American Artists Professional League, Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club and the Ridgewood Art Institute. She is listed in Who’s Who of American Art. Helen’s paintings are inspired by the beauty found in nature and the works of her father.
Helen was married for 57 years to Steven Jacobs, who died in 2007. They have a son, Richard S. Jacobs and his wife Janet and grandchildren Richard and Jennifer Jacobs of Montclair, NJ, and a daughter, Barbara Jacobs Sussman and her husband Gary Sussman of Hoosick and grandchildren Max and Spencer Sussman of Brooklyn, NY.
Helen and her late husband Steve were the founding members of The Ethical Society of Bergen County. Helen remained active in the Society and had deep concerns for others.
A memorial Service will be held September 22 at 2 pm at The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, located at 687 Larch Avenue, Teaneck, NJ. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County.