Hello hello…
Sadly, Jacob Massman was suddenly taken from his family and friends by a hemorrhagic stroke on June 15, 2021. This tragic event was foreshadowed by Jake’s constant struggle with his own health issues and the sudden loss of his wife 10 years earlier. Jake was no stranger to hospitals. At the age of 5 he was hospitalized for type 1 diabetes. He lived the rest of his life acutely aware of the tenuous hold he had on life and those he loved.
His earliest years were spent surrounded by adults espousing their philosophy. His father, George, hosted these nightly events arguing vehemently with anyone who thought differently. As Jake grew up, he became a master of debate with anyone who would take the bait.
Jake was the ultimate protective brother, but when the mood struck, he loved to torment his little sister, Natasha. Though a big brother to one, he was a bonus brother to all his cousins friends.
Jake spent most of his life in Montana, but escaped to San Francisco for 10 years where he became a bike messenger, prep cook, and attended school. He spent summers and numerous weekends at the family ranch outside Wilsall, overlooking the Crazy Mountains. From there he would depart on numerous backpacking adventures with his dad George, family, friends, and most recently his son Lucas.
At this point we fast-forward to 2010, where Jake married Teresa and soon became father to Lucas in 2011. The birth of Lucas was the happiest day of his life, but also the saddest. His wife, Teresa, died of a brain aneurysm the day following Lucas’s birth. After losing Teresa, Jake dedicated his life to being the best dad and mom for Lucas. Jake and “Goof butt” (aka Lucas) were referred to as “the boys”. They did everything together. They loved biking; whenever Lucas used his breaks, Jake would shout “No, turn the gear up”.
Those that spent time with Jake and Lucas knew about the deep intense philosophical conversations they would have about almost everything. In fact, quoting Nietzsche to Lucas was a favorite pastime for by his dad. Jake also was influenced by his mother Claudia’s strength and patience, which he was always testing. For those of us that knew Jake, we will miss his infectious smile and his giggle. He never went a day or even a conversation without putting in a swear word of two. Jake had a passion for all types of math. He loved being able to solve complex problems and was looking forward to teaching Goof butt all the branches of math, including calculus. He never had less than four books sitting on his bedside table.
He loved to read and loved to see Lucas following in his footsteps. Music moved Jake’s soul; his playlist was vast and he never drove his car without music playing.
Jake is survived by his mother (Claudia), sister (Natasha), son (Lucas), and a long list of aunts, uncles, cousins, and relatives by blood and relatives by bond. Rather than list them out, they should all just know that Jake cared about this family more than anything, and they were all in his heart until the last.
The family wishes to give heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Jake’s special friend Tina Eblen for welcoming Lucas into her home, heart, and family (including her children- Teagan and Drew).
The other wish that Jake had, besides taking his ashes into the mountains near his family’s roots, was that all the people close to him in his life gather for a celebration, an informal gathering to celebrate his passing when it came. That party/wake/celebration will take place in Helena at Spring Meadow Lake State Park on Friday, June 25th starting at 2:30 p.m. All those friends and family who shared in his life are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, a gofund me page has been set up for the care of Lucas.
Service Schedule
Service Schedule
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Traci Swingley says
Always a gentleman, Jake was. Born a gentleman, lived a gentleman and flew beyond, the consummate gentleman. You shall be missed, but your spirit carried on through Lucas. Am blessed to have shared a moments of your sunshine, dear cousin.
-Traci
Dave Van Nice says
Jake was one of the YMCA noon basketball guys. Over the years, I played at the Helena YMCA against his grandfather, his father and then Jake. He was a true gentleman on the court and played with finesse in that rough and tumble pickup game. He had a beautiful hook shot with both hands and you were always happy to have him as a teammate in those noontime scrums. On the sidelines, between games, it was always enjoyable to have conversations with Jake. He was knowledgeable on many subjects and obviously very intelligent. He will be sorely missed. Prayers for his family and friends.
Jeffrey Tiberi says
I share Dave’s thoughts about Jake. What a good person he was! The ever present smile, positive attitude, and friendly demeanor to all made him light up a room, or in this case a gym. He was a great player and I always wanted to be on the same team with him. One day on the court Jake was on a team with me and two other fellows who were quite old, as I am. Our fifth player was a 17 year who ran the court like a rabbit being chased by a coyote. Noon ball games at the YMCA are structured so that a team has to sit down after playing twice, no matter if you win or not. Unbelievably, even with the three old timers, we beat two teams very good teams, with much thanks to Jake’s court skills. Afterwards on the bench I asked Jake how we won those games? I told Jake the the three seasoned players ages added up to 201 years. He said come with me and we walked over to the 17 year old, who was sitting by his young friends on another bench. Jake asked the kid how old he was. (That’s how we found out his age.) He said 17. Jake repeated the 201 years of the other teammates. I never saw a kids eyes get so big. Jake walked back to his bench with that great smile on his face!
The Y’s been closed for noon hoops for a long time. We’ll have a cheer for Jake when the gang gets back on the hardwood. Prayers to his family and friends.
Ann Buss says
I was among the fortunate people to witness Jake’s amazing, unconditional Fathering to Lucas. What a loss for budding fathers everywhere to lose such a great mentor!! Prayers to Lucas and his support team!!
Daniel Mack says
I happened to meet Teresa and Jake at a local restaurant I worked in, when, as part of Teresa’s job, they accompanied Sherman Alexie to dinner and his speaking appearance later that night. Of course it was a tremendous honor serving such a table as Mr. Alexie is obviously a literary legend, but as notable was the amazing couple with him. I had been in the restaurant business close to thirty years at the time, interacting with thousands through the years, and something told me immediately that Teresa VeltKamp and Jake Massman were an incredible and unforgettable pair not often encountered in even a long life. Not long after that night, they visited the same business again, arranging their wedding reception and requesting I work it though I usually did not serve such catered functions. I had the unforgettable opportunity to partake of the wedding reception and see such a beautiful and perfect couple, as well as the very loving families surrounding both, and the beautiful light I had witnessed in Teresa and Jake at that first dinner was truly radiant, magical and fully realized.
I am so sorry to hear of this tremendous loss. The loss of Teresa 10 years ago was devastating, a weak in the knees feeling the moment one hears of such a terrible thing, just as it was yesterday seeing the news of Jake’s sudden passing. Just devastating, like a punch in the gut, heart and face all at once. It had been some time since I crossed paths with Jake, (thanks guys, now I regret having long ago stopped playing Y noon games!!) and news of his loss sends a shudder through the soul. Yet I write of this today with the desire that Lucas hear a reminder that in a world of beautiful human souls, full of wonder and tragedy, both of his parents were spirits possessed of a magical energy rarely seen and experienced, and what a remarkable flash of memorable transcendent light that lived in their union. I’ve encountered thousands in life and work, and your parents are probably two of the most unforgettable ever. They were both incredible people, perfectly amazing, pure light and joy no matter what challenge life offered. You were born of that magic.
Prayers to all touched by this considerable loss.
Beth Uda (Massman) says
I have been part of the Massman family for more than three decades, and we have always enjoyed having the crew over for family picnics and holiday meals. Summer events were always a bit more fun, because Jake and Lucas could always make it. When Tina called to tell us that Jake was in the hospital fighting for his life and that we should visit him that day—instead of later in the week as we had planned—we passed the word to several family members and headed to Great Falls. I’m so glad we went. We saw Jake, but more importantly, Lucas saw how much the whole family love him and his dad. I’m so thankful that from the moment that Jake called Tina for her help with the troubling headaches and symptoms he’d been having, she took his troubles as her own. If Jake had called us instead, I’d like to think we’d have been as caring. We are still reeling with this loss.
Omar Al-Faruq (was Charles Green) says
Jake:
Two months ago I began my efforts in getting back in touch with you. A couple weeks ago I located the article about you in the Missoulian newspaper and saw you for the first time in decades. I was elated to see the photo of you holding your newborn son, Lucas. It was tragic to hear of the passing our Lucas’s mother. You and me were coworkers who became friends. And I consider you the best of friends.
Humankind plans, but God is the best planner. God removed you prior to our remeeting. As an older man I began longing to repeat the days of our Saturday morning breakfast meetings where we would share about mathematics, physics, theology, the cosmos. We would scrawl formulas, ideas, equations on napkins and to go menus to get our points across. We were young philosophers excited about life. Hearing about the ranch life of wholesomeness and hard work made me respect that lifestyle. You were also a super athlete despite your physical challenges – I believe that too inspired me to revisit physical fitness later in life.
So, in the end, we won’t be pipe-smoking old men meeting and pontificating in our old age. Not in this life. I pray we can meet again in heaven, old friend, and pick up the discussion where we left off. You will truly be missed. Rest in Peace, Jake.
@Lucas: Your father was of the most upstanding of people. He was a man of great intelligence who applied his heart to all that he did. The world has truly lost a great person. I pray that you too have inherited all of the great traits your parents had. Take care young man.
Emilie Veltkamp says
Jake, I am so sorry that I can’t be there today. We love you, and you will forever be missed. I had hoped that we would get over there to see you and Lucas again. To go have dinner, and just spend some time doing the family thing. We love you always.