William "Jay" Willoughby

William Jay Willoughby, 68, of Tallahassee, went home to be with Jesus in the early morning of July 1st, surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his love of 47 years, Charlene Willoughby. A Celebration of Life will be held at Thomasville Road Baptist Church on Saturday, July 8th at 10:30am. The family will receive friends on Friday, July 7th, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bevis Funeral Home on John Knox Road. Jay was born in Tallahassee to Bill and Dorothy “Dot” Willoughby, and followed 3 years later by his younger brother Ken. The family lived in Panama City Beach, then Louisville, KY, before returning to settle in Tallahassee, where Jay met the love of his life, Charlene. They were married in 1975, and built a happy loving home where they raised their 2 children, Josh and Jennie. Jay attended Leon High School, where he played percussion and oboe in the Leon High Band. After high school, he attended Florida State University, where he graduated with a degree in Mathematics. After graduating, he began working in the Computing Center at FSU, which began a 46-year career working in computing and information technology at FSU. Jay was a member of Thomasville Road Baptist Church, where he played a very active role in the Music Ministry from an early age. Starting with the youth choir Tomorrow’s Hope in high school, he was a member of many musical groups at TRBC, including serving as founder and director of the Master’s Men. Jay loved his family, his work, FSU football, and most importantly his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He will be terribly missed by so many, including his loving wife, Charlene; his son, Joshua Willoughby, of Tallahassee; his daughter, Jennifer Willoughby, of Nashville; his brother, Stephen Kent “Ken”, of Tallahassee; his brother- and sister-in-law Larry and Diane Griffith, of Tallahassee; nephew Dr. Randall Griffith (Jenny) of Birmingham; niece Rev. Katie Mattox (John) of Atlanta; great nieces and nephews; and so many other family and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to MD Anderson Cancer Center, or the Worship Ministry Tech Fund at Thomasville Road Baptist Church. Jared Padgett of Bevis Funeral Home is assisting the family with their arrangements. (850-385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com)

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William "Jay" Willoughby

March 16, 1955 - July 1, 2023