Jacob Verghese

Jacob Verghese was born in Calicut, India in 1936 to Abraham & Annie Verghese. From a young age, he was described as the free spirit out of all his siblings, some would even call him a rebel. He was a risk-taker who wasn’t afraid of what was next. His siblings would go so far as to describe him as someone who wanted to chart his own path in life.

That rebellious spirit was easily on display at a young age as he would sometimes borrow his father’s 1947 Rover to drive to Calicut Beach, making sure to return it before his father could notice in the morning.

It was no surprise that in the 1960s, he would go on to work for his father’s car and truck dealership in Calicut where he continued to pursue his passion for cars and driving. In 1972, he moved to the United States of America where he worked as a Tool and Die Maker at General Motors in Detroit, Michigan.

Soon after, he married Betty Cheeran in 1978 and they had two kids, Margaret and Charles Verghese in Detroit. He gathered the family and moved to Houston, Texas in 1982 and then eventually settled in New Carrollton, Maryland where they had their third child, David Verghese, in 1993. He found work in Maryland at a local mechanic shop called Pugh’s Garage, working there for nearly a decade where he was a customer favorite.

Jacob was a magnet for people. He enjoyed hearing people tell their stories, while regaling them with his own. He was always there when you needed him and would help you out if you needed to get somewhere. He leaves behind a social legacy which gained him the nickname “Thambisar” a term of respect in the community but also one of endearment amongst friends.

In meeting him, you would feel like you’d known him for an entire lifetime.