The Walker Family

Jacob William Shoff

1978 ~ 2025

Our beloved husband, father, son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, and everyone’s best friend, Jacob William Shoff, 46, was called to return home to his Father in Heaven on February 6, 2025, after a tragic car accident. He was a giant of a man in every respect, larger than life with a heart of gold. It is impossible to fully describe how deeply he will be missed, but we know that through our Savior Jesus Christ, we will be reunited with him again.

Funeral services for Jacob will be held on Friday, February 14, 2025 at 11:00 am in the Highland North Stake Center Chapel, located at 5335 West 11200 North, Highland, Utah. Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Thursday evening from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Highland North Stake Center Chapel and also at an additional viewing on Friday morning from 9:30-10:30 am prior to services also at the church.

Jake was born on September 22, 1978, in Biloxi, Mississippi, the third of seven children born to Carl Clinton Shoff and Mary Ann Doxey Shoff. Carl and Mary Ann taught their children the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These principles are well exemplified in Jake’s life and were instrumental in him becoming the man that he is.

Jake was a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his entire life. Jake’s faith was an integral part of his life and he valiantly served in each Church calling or assignment he was given. He made an immeasurable impact on countless lives.

Jake was an extremely talented, highly motivated young man and excelled in every sport, passion, or activity in which he participated. He became an Eagle Scout by the age of 15. He became a standout high school basketball and football player at Viewmont High School in Farmington (sophomore and junior years) and American Fork High School (senior year). At American Fork, he led his team to a region championship and was named the Region 4 Tri-Player of the Year. That same season he led his team to a state title appearance and was named first team all-state.

Jake began his collegiate basketball career at Weber State University, where he made an immediate impact as a freshman playing in 27 games. After his freshman year, he completed a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving and loving the people of Honduras. Upon returning from his mission, Jake played in 28 games as a sophomore, pulling down a team-best 6 rebounds per game. He was third in the nation at Weber State in rebounds per minute played.

In 2001, Jake transferred to Brigham Young University. During his time with the Cougars, he appeared in 57 games and was instrumental in leading the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. Known for his physical play and efficiency, Jake shot over 60% from the field during his time at BYU. Jake is one of only four BYU basketball players in history with a career FG% of at least 60%. His contributions were vital to the team's success during his tenure. Jake was the type of player that you wish you had on every team, a competitor that brought “it” every single day. Jake was the ideal teammate on and off the court, always willing to do whatever it took to help his team win. He was the ultimate “Team Guy”.

The most important event in Jake’s life was meeting and falling deeply for the love of his life, the beautiful and amazing Emily Criddle. Jake and Emily’s parents were close friends in college and dental school before the couple was born. Jake’s mother, Mary Ann, and Emily’s mother, Leah were pregnant with their children at the same time. Since both mothers already had two boys, they were each hoping for a girl. Fortunately for Jake and Emily, only one mother got her wish granted and Jake and Emily were born 6 weeks apart. During Jake’s Junior year of high school, he visited Arizona for a basketball tournament and stayed with Emily’s family for a few days. There was an instant spark. They wrote letters for several months, in which Jake repeatedly made clear his love for Emily. Following Jake’s mission, they reconnected at BYU, got engaged, and were sealed in the Mesa Arizona Temple on October 26, 2001.

Jake and Emily are the devoted and loving parents of four incredible boys, Zachary (21), Brady (17), Grant (11), and Maximus (7). Jake is an amazing father to his boys and taught them the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and instilled in them the values our Savior taught. Jake loved coaching his boys in sports and watching them progress in athletics. His coaching style was one of passion and love. He expected you to put forth great effort and to be a great teammate. Jake was an example of generosity and kindness to his sons, and each of his sons feel the tremendous loss of a devoted and loving father. They will never forget the light and truth they were taught.

Jake’s professional life’s work has centered on the founding and operating of The Phoenix Recovery Center. Since its inception, The Phoenix has been a beacon of light to those struggling in the darkness. His vision of providing an individualized approach to addiction recovery and mental health services has been fulfilled, only realized through consistent grind and perseverance through significant headwinds. His Phoenix Recovery team has helped countless people to Rise Above addiction, recover, and restore their lives. Jake has been a pioneer in the mental health services field, which is so desperately needed in this day and age. Together with his team, they have literally saved hundreds of lives and buoyed up those people who need it most. Jake followed the example of our Savior Jesus Christ by reaching out to “the one” and ministering to individuals in severe crisis. His vocational calling has been to provide hope to those in despair by facilitating access to the professional support they need. Part of Jake’s pioneering mission at The Phoenix was to work tirelessly to advocate for more health insurance carriers to cover the costs of addiction recovery and mental health services. His ultimate goal was to provide life-saving health care services and coverage for all who stand in need. His wife and family are dedicated to preserving this beautiful legacy and ensuring that Jake’s efforts will live on after his death.

Jake is survived by his wife Emily Criddle Shoff, his sons Zachary, Brady, Grant, and Maximus; his parents, Carl Shoff and Mary Ann Doxey Shoff; his siblings Christopher (Dianne), Benjamin (Amanda), Rachel (Benjamin), Rebecca (David), Ricky (Kayli), and James (McCall); Emily’s parents Michael Criddle and Leah Mae Criddle; Emily’s siblings Michael (Christiane), Joshua (Felicia), David (Rebecca), Benjamin (Brooke), Nathaniel (Karlee), Daniel (Sabrina), and Matthew (Natalie).

Jake had a gift for making each of his family members and friends feel like they were the most important person to him. Thus, he is also survived by so many best friends and loved ones, each of us who feels the burden of grief and broken heart with his passing. Nevertheless, we move forward with hope and faith, eagerly anticipating that joyous reunion in the resurrection, when we are all enveloped once again in that celestial Jake Shoff bear hug.