James Edwin Wills

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.

Obituary

Born in Washington D.C. and raised with a stern hand and loving heart, James Edwin Wills grew to be a man with impeccable work ethic and unmatched family loyalty. A career truck driver, he worked tireless hours transporting everything from gravel to snow. All the while doing so with the selfless motivation of providing for those he held dear to his heart.

Jimmy or “Pop-Pop” as he was affectionately known, could regularly be found at either Laurel Race Track or Pimlico betting on his favorite horses. An avid sports fan, his teams of choice were the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Orioles. But Football was his passion; Super Bowl Sunday being his most anticipated day of the year.

Friendship was something that Jimmy took very seriously. The bonds he formed and maintained lasted a lifetime. Each one holding a different meaning for him and for the person fortunate enough to count him as a friend. For him, his friends were quite literally his chosen family; there was no distinction between the two.

Jimmy spent his retired years deservedly enjoying the love and laughter of his great grandchildren. However not a day was started without first giving a wash and shine to his car. Whether by hand or taken to his favorite car wash, his ride was cleaner than the Board of Health.

Our beloved Jimmy now joins his two dearly departed daughters and four siblings in Heaven. He is survived and celebrated by his beautiful wife Maxine, five children, five grandchildren, six great grandchildren and another soon to enter this life, one sibling and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family, friends and grateful associates. Jimmy’s physical presence, no-nonsense attitude and biting wit will be sorely missed…but his spoken stories and the memories he created will live on for generations to come.

Memory wall

February 17, 2026

May you rest in peace, Uncle Jimmy. I'll miss our football laughter. I still don't understand how you could like those
Cowboys. :)) I wish you could say hi to my Dad and Uncle George. I Love you, Pam

Pamela Wills Packer

February 14, 2026

Fly, fly little wing
Fly beyond imagining
The softest cloud, the whitest dove
Upon the wind of heaven's love
Past the planets and the stars
Leave this lonely world of ours
Escape the sorrow and the pain
And fly again

Fly, fly precious one
Your endless journey has begun
Take your gentle happiness
Far too beautiful for this
Cross over to the other shore
There is peace forevermore
But hold this mem'ry bittersweet
Until we meet

Fly, fly do not fear
Don't waste a breath, don't shed a tear
Your heart is pure, your soul is free
Be on your way, don't wait for me
Above the universe you'll climb
On beyond the hands of time
The moon will rise, the sun will set
But I won't forget

Fly, fly little wing
Fly where only angels sing
Fly away, the time is right
Go now, find the light

Yamil Vargas

February 14, 2026

You were my second father and there are no words for me to adequately express how grateful I am to have had you in my life. I love you Pops, rest well…I’ll be drinking a cold Pepsi in your honor!

Roger C. Philip

February 14, 2026

The Light of Jimmy Wills
The weary road has ended now,
The heavy clouds have cleared.
He’s stepped beyond the shadows

And the things that we once feared.
No more the weight of tired bones,
No more the reach of pain—
He’s found the warmth of golden light

And he is whole again.
He wasn’t just a moment,
Or the struggle at the end;
He was the laughter in the room,
The father and the friend.
He was the story told with spirit,
The hand that held our own,
The steady heart, the quiet strength,
The bravest man we’ve known.

So though our hearts are heavy,
And the tears are bound to fall,
We’ll gather round to speak his name
And the joy that we recall.
For Jimmy isn’t in the grief,
Or the silence of the day
He’s in every spark of laughter
That we carry on our way.

He’s free to run, he’s free to rest,
He’s free to watch us grow.
We give him back to peace today,
Because we love him so.

Richard Wills