Jake was born Jan. 30, 1929, in Chicago to George J. and Elizabeth Siddal Shaver and attended Port Washington (N.Y.) High School on Long Island.
An English major at Princeton, he was in the bridge club and Cap and Gown. He roomed with Win Allegaert, Dick Cover, Jim Mead, and John Mead. Jake served in the Army Counter Intelligence Corps after graduation. He and Dorothy Breska were married in 1954.
After several years at McCann-Erickson, he went with Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample, serving as senior vice president and creative director, winning a number of Clio and Effie awards over 20 years. Thereafter he was vice president for advertising and promotion at NBC for four years, and moved to Oakland, Calif., in 1983 to head the advertising department at World Savings Bank, retiring soon thereafter.
In the early years in New York, Jake was a member of the Princeton Club and the Lloyd Harbor Yacht Club and was an active competitive sailor. An ardent bridge player, he was a Bronze Life Master.
Jake died June 12, 2012. He is survived by his children, Patricia, Linda, and George J. III, and three grandchildren. His wife, Dotty, and their daughter, Pamela, predeceased him. His sister, Frances Lauda, died two months after he did.