Jacob Thomas Willging's Obituary
Jacob Thomas Willging, 54, of Oakland passed away peacefully at his residence on January 17, 2026. He was born in Toledo, Ohio on August 8, 1971.
Jacob graduated from Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland where he played on the varsity football team. He also attended Montgomery Community College in Rockville, MD.
He worked in the food service industry at Trader Joe’s stores in Washington, DC and Oakland, and then at Whole Foods Oakland for the last seven years. Before moving to Oakland in 2011, Jacob worked to renovate several houses in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, DC.
He had a passion for football, cycling, and other sports. His dog Harper, named after then Washington Nationals player Bryce Harper, was his constant companion and he loved her very much. He was a prodigious reader of fantasy novels and a Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast from a young age.
Jacob is survived by his mother, Judith Willging, his father, Tom Willging, his sister, Chris Willging, brother-in-law Dennis Finnegan, and nephews Miles and Liam Finnegan; his aunts, Martha O’Brien, Lisa O’Brien, Joanne O’Brien, Carol Banford, Rita McLaughlin, and Lucy Willging; his uncles Steve O’Brien, Robert O’Brien, Jim Willging, John Willging; and dozens of cousins.
To send condolences or a personal note to the family, please email his father at [email protected] or his mother at [email protected]. In that email, please let the family know if you have an interest in attending a memorial celebration in Oakland, CA in the near future.
In lieu of flowers, please send a contribution in Jacob’s name to the East Bay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Oakland, CA (https://eastbayspca.org/) or to Friends of Oakland Animal Services (https://friendsofoas.org/)—or adopt a pet in Jacob’s name.
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