Michael Angelo Jacobellis

Michael Angelo Jacobellis, 65 was born June 4, 1953 in Los Angeles, California. The son of Rocco and Grace Jacobellis. He was the second of three children (Sam being the eldest and Lynn being the youngest). Michael's parents had emigrated to the United States from Italy prior to his birth. During his childhood he would routinely play with Larry Ross, Joey Destito, Ross Pisano, and Rocky Palermo. They would play baseball, football, and be rambunctious boys in the neighborhood like boys are supposed to do. He attended Alhambra High School from 1967-1971, and upon graduation he went to East L.A. College and achieved his Associates Degree. Immediately following graduation he applied for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). In January 1975 he graduated the police academy. For the first few years on the department he patrolled the streets of Los Angeles, and was fortunate to have great partners. In 1978, he met his future wife Sheryl while on the job. They dated for a year prior to getting married in September of 1979. Their daughter Stacy was born in July 1983, followed by their son Michael in December 1984. In 1985 Mike was promoted to Detective I and transferred to a new assignment working in the Juvenile Division, where he would prosecute pedophiles. His passion and commitment to removing this threat off of the streets was unparalleled. In 1991 he was promoted to Detective II and transferred to Legal Affairs. In 1999 he managed his sons Junior League baseball team that went all the way to the World Series. In 2000 he was promoted to Detective III and transferred to Risk Management Division where he eventually retired in 2007. Immediately following his service to LAPD he started a second career at Santa Anita race track and headed up their security team. In 2010 his first grandson Wyatt was born, followed by his granddaughter Selah in 2012, his grandson Rocco in 2015 and Luke in 2018. Michael A. Jacobellis passed away on October 23, 2018. He is survived by his wife Sheryl, daughter Stacy, son Michael and four grandchildren.