Devin Willock Celebration of Life details announced; Ceremonies in Athens and at home

Funeral plans for Devin Willock were released on Friday. The family will host a private celebration of life this weekend in Athens with members of the Georgia Football program including players, coaches and staff while a public event will be held next week back in his home state of New Jersey.

“The family of Devin Willock will hold a private Celebration of Life service this Saturday morning. Members of the Georgia football program, coaches, student-athletes, staff and UGA administration will be in attendance.

“There will also be a public Celebration of Life for Devin Willock on Friday, Jan. 27 in Englewood, New Jersey. This will take place at The Community Baptist Church, located at 224 First Street, Englewood, NJ 07631. Visitation will start at 9 a.m., with a Celebration of Life to begin at 11 a.m. Senior pastor Dr. Lester W. Taylor, Jr. will officiate.

“Those interested in supporting the Willock family can do so by giving to the verified GoFundMe account. Donate to the Devin Willock family GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/remembering-devin-willock-uga-football.”

Willock was tragically killed this past Sunday in a car crash that took the life of the Georgia offensive lineman as well as a football program support staffer, Chandler LeCroy. Details of the accident were released earlier this week in a crash report from Athens Clarke County police.

According to the report, the 2021 Ford Expedition with LeCroy at the wheel was headed southbound on Barnett Shoals Road. The vehicle “failed to negotiate a left curve, resulting in the vehicle striking a curb with its front passenger tire and leaving the roadway on the west shoulder. While on the west shoulder [the vehicle] struck a GA Power Pole and another utility pole cutting them in half. The vehicle continued south on the shoulder where it struck a tree with its rear passenger quarter panel and caused it to begin rotating clockwise where it stuck another tree with its driver’s side. This caused the vehicle to rotate counter-clockwise prior to achieving final rest against an apartment building located at 930 Barnett Shoals Road.”

The report narrative continues to say that the driver, LeCroy, was transported to Piedmont Athens Regional by ambulance where she was pronounced dead. The front passenger of the vehicle, fellow Georgia football player Warren McClendon, “sustained a laceration in the middle of his head.” He also was transported via ambulance to PARMC. The passenger in the rear side of the vehicle, Willock, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene of the collision. The fourth and final passenger of the vehicle, Tori Bowles, was seated in the rear right side and sustained multiple injuries which were redacted from the report. She too was transported by ambulance to Piedmont with what were considered to be serious injuries.

A second vehicle parked in the parking lot was struck as well, and the investigation remains ongoing. Report codes of contributing factors did include “exceeding speed limit.” The posted speed in the area is 40 miles per hour.

The University of Georgia community and officials were quick to comment on the situation Sunday when it occurred. The Willock family took more time to gather their thoughts and released a statement through their attorneys on Thursday saying the following:

First we would like to thank the city of Athens and the overwhelming support of the Georgia and New Jersey football communities, fans, teammates, coaches and friends over the past few days. As there are no words that can be found to describe the grief that we are experiencing with our loss, the support of all those that have said kind words and shared loving memories of Devin has helped us during this time. What we would like everyone to know is that Devin was more than just a football player. He was a trusted friend, a supportive and loving brother, a dedicated student and a wonderful son. Devin’s infectious personality and loving smile is one that no one who met or saw him will ever forget. He was a young man that was not solely driven by football. He was driven by his love of others and his desire to fulfill his future. He is someone that we know people that met him will never forget, not because of this tragedy but because of the positive experiences, influences and interactions that they had with him. To know Devin simply was to love him, and being the amazing young man that he was, Devin gave nothing but love and positivity to those around him. We also ask that you keep Chandler LeCroy’s family in your thoughts and prayers, along with Warren McClendon and Tory Bowles, that they man be fully healed. Although we will never be able to truly get over this moment, your prayers, thoughts and memories of Devin continue to give us strength during this time. Thank you, Dave and Sharlene Willock.

Willock, 20, played in all 15 games for Georgia this past season including two starts. He also played as a reserve in 13 games during the 2021 season. The 6-foot-7, 335-pound native of New Milford, N.J. signed with the Bulldogs in the Class of 2020 before redshirting his first year on campus.