Jacob Richard Sandy of South Bend, Indiana died on May 18th, 2019 at 23 years old. His death was the result of a kayaking accident on Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes State Park. Jacob was born on September 20, 1995 in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Jacob grew up in Birmingham, Michigan and graduated with honors from Seaholm High School in 2014. He went on to receive his Bachelor’s Degree from Hope College in Holland, Michigan in 2018, with a double major in business administration and accounting. While at Hope College, Jacob participated in many activities, including as an academic tutor for low-income high school students for Upward Bound, and as a counselor at Spring Hill Camp, which is a Christian camp that encourages young people to learn about Biblical concepts while having fun.

Jacob became a Certified Public Accountant in the fall of 2018 after passing his exams. He started his first postgraduate job at Crowe LLP in South Bend, Indiana, as a financial auditor. In 2017, Jacob had been an intern at Crowe while an undergraduate student at Hope and accepted a position there after graduation. In his spare time, he worked with Invest-Credit in order to provide micro-loans and empowerment to entrepreneurs in the country of Moldova.

Jacob was a beloved son, brother, friend, sibling, boyfriend, Christian, and accountant. He loved doing magic tricks, slacklining between two trees, kayaking, playing pick-up sports, playing chess, watching NFL games and playing fantasy football, reading books, watching movies, talking to people, laughing, speaking in metaphors, inspiring young people, and attending church. Jacob lived life to the fullest, and, despite his short life, he touched so many people and will be deeply missed.

He is survived by his mom, Carolyn Smith Sandy, his dad, Alan Sandy, his siblings, Charlotte (Steven) Rowe, and Paul (Lizelle Salazar) Sandy, and his girlfriend of over a year, Rachel Bartkowiak. He also leaves behind his goddaughter and niece, Caroline Rowe. Jacob is survived by two of his beloved grandparents, William and Marjorie Sandy. In addition, he has numerous living aunts, uncles, cousins, and many close friends. He is preceded in death by his beloved grandparents, Richard Walton Smith and Patricia Ann Smith.

A Vigil will take place in Seaholm High School's Media Center, Thursday, June 6th, at 7:30pm. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, June 8th, at 10am at St. James Episcopal Church, 355 W. Maple Road, Birmingham, MI, 48009. A reception to celebrate Jacob’s life will follow at Memorial Park, 31050 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, MI, 48073.