Business & Tech

Car Dealer Bill Jacobs, 55, Dies After 7-Year Cancer Fight

Entrepreneur owned 10 car dealerships in the Chicago area, including Bill Jacobs Chevrolet in Plainfield.

Bill Jacobs, owner of the Plainfield Chevy dealership that bore his name and nine other auto dealerships, has died.

Jabobs, 55, had been battling cancer for nearly seven years. He died at his Hinsdale home on Sunday, according to information supplied by the Adolf Funeral Home in Willowbrook.

He purchased his first Chevy dealership in Joliet from his father when he was just 23, and went on to add BMW, Mini-Cooper, Volkswagen, Land Rover, Cadillac, Mazda, Subaru, Kia and Mitsubishi dealerships to his company. The Bill Jacobs Automotive Group, with dealerships in Plainfield, Joliet, Naperville, Hinsdale and Hoffman Estates, employs 480 people and did $300 million in sales last year, the funeral home obituary said.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Jacobs' death comes shortly after it was announced the Plainfield dealership would not lose its Chevrolet franchise. Eighteen months ago, General Motors had included the dealership on the list of companies to lose their certified dealer standing.

A statement released by the company promised that the company would continue.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

"For nearly seven years since Bill was diagnosed with cancer, we knew this was coming. So did Bill. Yet he not only remained active, but spent his time building for the future and leading the industry," the statement said.

"We planned for it. We prepared for it, and now we want our customers and employees to know our enthusiasm and commitment to carrying on the Bill Jacobs Automotive Group."

Jacobs was a founding member and contributor to the Will County Center for Economic Development, and served on the board for the Hinsdale Center for the Arts and the advisory board for Prentice Hospital in Chicago.

Jacobs is survived by his wife, Linda; sons William, Kevin, Maximilian and Clayton; and his mother, Jeanne.

A private funeral service was held this week, and there wil be a public visitation from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday at Adolf Funeral Home, 7000 S. Madison St., Willowbrook.

Donations may be made in his name to the Rush Neurobehavioral Center, 4711 W. Golf Road, Suite 1100, Skokie, IL, 60076, or the the University of Arizona Foundation Cancer Center at UAF/Arizona Cancer Center, 1515 N. Campbell Ave., P.O. Box 245013, Tucson, AZ, 85724.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here