Joseph Victor Willoughby

1932 - 2023

Joseph Victor Willoughby
February 29, 1932 - March 19, 2023
Joseph Victor Willoughby, 91, of Burlingame, California, was a dedicated and loyal son, husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, a quiet, steady, and much-loved force in his family. He passed away in his home on March 19, 2023, with his family keeping vigil in the days and weeks prior. His loss is felt deeply.
"Vic" was born on leap day, February 29, 1932, in Alton, Illinois to Mildred Marie (Hardy) and Joseph Victor Willoughby Sr. Born into the Great Depression, his parents had both lost their jobs and often had no money of any kind. They received food coupons, and neighborhood friends provided milk for Vic. One story he shared was from age 4, when his mother spent their last bit of money to take a bus ride to his aunt's house hoping to borrow money. His aunt also had nothing but gave them a bag with an apple and a small amount of food to take on the 7 mile walk back home.
Vic had a variety of jobs in grade school and high school, including assisting the school janitor, cutting asparagus before school started, working in a florist shop and a meat factory.
Vic graduated from Marquette Catholic High School Class of 1950 and went on to study economics at Washington University in St Louis. He attended college part time at night, working during the day to pay for school, and persevering until he graduated in 1962. His first professional job was as a sales service representative at Gaylord Container in St Louis, a manufacturer of boxes. He then worked at Crown Zellerbach, a paper company, where he remained until retirement.
In 1957, Vic met Angela Kiel at the Midtown Restaurant and Bar in Alton a popular place at the time for dancing. His family loved the oft-told story of them first meeting in a bar. They married and had 3 of their 4 daughters in Alton. In 1962, Vic transferred to a new position in his company, relocating the family to the west coast, and ultimately settling in Burlingame, California where their 4th daughter was born.
In 1995, 10 years after retirement, he, along with Mario Cruz and Pete Umland, started a retail corporation, Burlingame Tobacconists. For the next 13 years, he was the store opener and handled the finances. At age 75, Vic again retired, though until his 91st birthday, he continued helping the business with financial record keeping. Vic was the finance guru behind the business, a true mentor, and a wealth of knowledge. He will be greatly missed by all the patrons that knew him and everyone who ever worked beside him.
In earlier days, Vic was a Cessna pilot and talented artist. He volunteered to teach adults to read English. In recent years, he began teaching himself the bongo drums via YouTube. He loved crossword puzzles. You could find him many days on the porch, in his chair, reading a book or doing a crossword puzzle, and smoking a pipe.
William Shakespeare wrote "Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep." Vic was the epitome of this sentiment, a reserved man with a deep and rich personality, intelligence, compassion, and love for community and family.
Vic was preceded in death by his parents, Mildred and Vic Willoughby Sr. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Angela Willoughby; his 4 daughters, Mary (Jeff), Nancy, Andrea (Kevin), and Jeanne (Tim); his 9 grandchildren, Shannon (James), Kaylan (Eric), Chase, Jake, Liam, Mikaela, Bailey, Jackson, Braden; and his 6 great grandchildren, Vincent, Matilda, Fiona, William, Savannah, and Hudson.
Services will be held at Catherine of Siena Parish, at 1310 Bayswater Avenue, Burlingame, Ca, on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at 10:00 am. Rosary is April 3, 2023 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, at Crosby N. Gray funeral home at 2 Park Road, Burlingame.