About Us

Jacobsen Funeral Home was originally started in Dannebrog, NE in June of 1909 by Jens P. Jacobsen. Jens had attended mortuary school in Chicago and came to Dannebrog to open the funeral home.

The first building used for the funeral business was a building that Jens shared with his brother Magnus. Since the embalming, dressing and cosmetic work was done at the deceased’s home, the funeral home was used only to show caskets. Jens and his brother Magnus shared a building. Jens used the back to show caskets while Magnus used the front for his piano business. The funerals were held at a church or the deceased’s home and then the deceased was taken to the cemetery by a horse drawn hearse. Later he purchased a black Studebaker hearse.

In 1937, Jen’s son James P. Jacobsen joined the business after graduating from Williams Institute of Mortuary Science in Kansas City. They also owned and operated the Jacobsen Grocery Store in Dannebrog.

Jens later married Rose McIntyre who owned funeral homes in St. Paul and Wolbach. They were partners in the funeral homes, which became McIntyre-Jacobsen Funeral Home. At this time James purchased the funeral home in Dannebrog from his father.

In 1958, James purchased the McIntyre-Jacobsen Funeral Home in St. Paul and Wolbach. James and his family moved to St. Paul and lived in the funeral home which was located at 914 Howard Avenue. In 1963, Jacobsen Funeral Home built a new funeral home at 411 “O” Street in St. Paul. The business is still located at that address.

James P. Jacobsen, III joined his father in the funeral home in 1968 and purchased the funeral home from his father in 1982. In 1989, William Greenway, a second generation funeral director from Palmer joined the funeral home staff and became a partner in 2000 with the funeral home becoming Jacobsen-Greenway Funeral Home. In 2005, James retired and William purchased the remaining interest. Tracey Dietz joined Jacobsen-Greenway Funeral Home in St. Paul and Greenway Funeral Home in Palmer in 2017. Tracey and Dirk purchased the businesses on January 1, 2019, which became Jacobsen-Greenway-Dietz and Greenway-Dietz Funeral Homes.