Jake Santa Cruz
April 16, 1997 ~ March 26, 2025
Jake Santa Cruz April 16, 1997 – March 26, 2025
Jake Santa Cruz, 27, of Marietta, Georgia passed away on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
Jake is survived by his parents, Mark and Lory Santa Cruz of Marietta GA; sister Paula Jane Santa Cruz (Birkir Benediktsson) of Atlanta, GA: grandmother Helen Santa Cruz of Marietta, GA; uncle Paul Santa Cruz of Sandy Springs, GA; uncle Scott (Kim) Santa Cruz of Huntersville, NC, and Cousin Lexi Santa Cruz of Huntersville, NC. Jake was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother Mary Jureczko, maternal grandfather Ted Jureczko and paternal grandfather Jack Santa Cruz.
Jake was born and raised in Marietta, Georgia. He excelled in all subjects in school and graduated as valedictorian of Kennesaw Mountain High School class of 2015. He earned varsity letters in Cross Country and Track and Field while attending KMHS. Jake attended Georgia Tech as a four-year Zell Miller Scholar and later graduated Magna Cum Laude from Kennesaw State University with a BS degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Before and after graduation, Jake worked as a supply chain data analyst for Thrive Technologies. He later worked for HD Supply, Home Depot and was currently employed with Spartan Nash.
Jake was a very well-rounded man with many varied interests and talents. He was extremely intelligent, analytical and enjoyed coding and other highly technical pursuits. He was also very interested in music. Jake loved to create music with friends and worked during some of his spare time producing music professionally in a recording studio. Jake was interested in spiritual teachings and would often spend time trying to learn as much as he could about different religions and their practices.
Jake enjoyed sports and loved to follow the Atlanta Hawks and other NBA teams, as well as the Kentucky Wildcats college basketball team. He liked to play basketball occasionally in his spare time.
Most of all, Jake was a devoted son and brother and dearly loved his extended family. He was a good friend to many and cherished his time spent with a network of friends that he visited with regularly.
Voluntary donations in Jake’s honor may be made to NAMI Cobb, Skyland Trail or Ridgeview Institute of Smyrna.
A memorial service is scheduled to begin Saturday, April 5
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It breaks my heart! A gigantic loss to the world! My love and condolences. Patty, NAMI Cobb facilitator
Jake and I made some songs together. We exchanged only pleasant interactions. I think that was because he was pure of heart.
I met Jake at Skyland Trail and was thrilled to find out he was a friend of my brother’s during a time when I felt so alone. We spent over two months learning and growing together as a group— everyone got so close as we were all going through some of the hardest times in our lives. Jake was incredibly funny, wise, and absolutely brilliant. I’ll always remember our late nights as a group talking, laughing, and watching Jake and other Skyland friends battle rap. Once we left Skyland, we reconnected from time to time to encourage each other on our journeys. I am so grateful to have known you, Jake.
I remember Jake as a happy, sweet little boy in the neighborhood. He and my son, Brett Kozee, were the same age and buddied up at some of their sisters’ birthday parties before we moved in 2005. My heart aches for you, Mark, Lory, and Paula Jane.
Donna (Kozee) Wood
Unimaginable, heartbreaking loss. My thoughts and prayers for comfort and peace go out to Lory, Mark and PJ, family and friends.
I remember his smile. He always waved at me.
Jake was an outstanding leader for NAMI Cobb for several years. He regularly facilitated a support group to help peers who have a mental health disorder. He was such a delight to be
around and was especially able to engage young adults to come for support. We always hoped he would come volunteer again. He will be deeply missed.
Jake was a valuable asset to NAMI Georgia and the NAMI Cobb affiliate. We are saddened to hear of his passing. Thank your service to the Cobb community, Jake.
Jake was the person facilitating at my first NAMI Cobb meeting. I then had the opportunity to facilitate with him once I became a facilitator. I always hoped he would once again walk through the door and maybe one day facilitate again. He shared his story and filled others with hope. He made such a difference in my life and the world lost such an amazing person.
Jake became a friend of my son’s in middle schooler. Together they made it through Magnet HS, and participated in XC for the MUSTANGS, They remained friends thru the college years and beyond; playing video games remotely while Aaron was across the country working his first job. He was a great friend to my son, probably his best friend. Jake became a friend of ours, a young man we all cared about. He would come over and watch football games, have dinner, or go to Marietta Square for an evening. Words cannot express the heartache we have for the loss of Jake. We hold his family in our hearts, and will continue to pray for the family. May his memories be a blessing.
Q: What will you never forget about Jake?
A: I knew Jake as a young child- my son’s best childhood friend. He impressed our family as an intelligent, handsome, and considerate child to be around. Jake excelled in everything that he put effort in. We are lucky that Jake played such an important role in our lives. After attending his memorial service, it is clear to me that Jake is very well loved and will be missed dearly.
Jake was in my 6th grade AC Language Arts class at Lovinggood Middle School. In a class full of stars, his shone the brightest. I am so sorry to hear of his passing.
I had the great pleasure of working with Jake for the past few years at SpartanNash. All of us were devastated to hear of his untimely passing.
Jake was such a kind and gentle soul. He was always ready to lend a hand and was a very beloved member of our team. We were so happy to have him back in person at our last workshop after being unable to attend for a few months.
Jake amazed all of us with how we would be sitting in a meeting, mention there was some information we needed, and Jake would immediately query the data and provide us with the answer we needed in under a minute. The work that he did with his teammates has had a significant impact on our Supply Chain operations.
Our hearts are saddened by Jake’s passing, but we know that we will see him again one day in Heaven.
May God comfort all of his family and friends in these sad and difficult times. Know that he was loved by so many people.
I had the pleasure to know Jake in our Nami Cobb support group. His desire to help others was a gift and inspiration. I am grateful to have known him . My heart aches with you .
Jake and I worked on the same team the past couple of years at SpartanNash. He was a great teammate, incredibly smart, kind to others, always willing to help, and a great listener. I’ll always remember times when we’d be in a meeting and Jake would have a solution before everyone else. While everyone was busy sharing their thoughts on how we could solve a problem, Jake would be there actively listening, gathering everyone’s thoughts, and ultimately speak up that he had a solution, before anyone else did. Being a great listener is a great trait to have in all aspects of life, something I’ll always remember about him. My condolences go out to all his friends and family. He will be missed.