City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Jacob Brennan Roode
Wake Forest, North Carolina
Age 24.
Died 08/27/2025.
Born on January 9, 2001, in Milford, Massachusetts, Jake moved with his family to Raleigh, NC, at the age of five and graduated from Millbrook High School in 2019. While a life with a family of his own was his highest dream, he built a life full of love, connection, and purpose.
In 2022, Jacob courageously fought and won his battle against non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but his health journey wasn't over. In mid-June 2025, he began a new, heartbreaking fight against a rare autoimmune condition, Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome (APS), and the pulmonary hypertension it caused. The battle was brutally brief but bravely fought.
Jacob was a true dog lover. He found his calling working at Audrey’s Bark Yard in Wake Forest, where he spent the last three years of his life. As a front desk attendant and kennel technician, he had a special gift for connecting with both the people and the pups who came through the door. His deepest passion was his goal to become a dog trainer, with the hope of one day training service dogs.
Beyond his love for dogs, Jacob was a dedicated gamer. Whether it was on a screen or around a table for a game of Dungeons and Dragons, he treasured the time spent with his long-term gaming group, a group of friends for whom he had great affection. He also found joy in listening to D&D podcasts like Critical Role and Dimension 20—an outlet for his self-proclaimed “nerdery.” Jacob's other passions included cooking, cheering on the Charlotte Hornets, reading, and simply spending quality time with the people he loved.
Everyone who met Jacob was touched by his kind and gentle spirit. He had a unique ability to make others feel seen and heard, and his infectious laugh and radiant smile were a light to everyone around him.
Jacob is preceded in death by his grandmother, Connie Roode. He leaves behind his adoring parents, Doug and Robyn; his brother, Daniel and his fiancée, Brook; his sister, Elianna; and his beloved canine companion, Sadie. He is also survived by his remaining grandparents, Wayne Roode, and Don and Ruth Hall, as well as an extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and the chosen family that he found in an amazing circle of friends who loved him well.
A celebration of his life will be held to celebrate the remarkable person that Jacob was on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at Rivertree Church, 6894 Litchford Rd, Raleigh, NC 27615. Jake hated to wear a tie so attendees should not feel obligated to dress up.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to one of Jacob’s favorite organizations, Paws for Life NC. Through his work at Audrey’s Bark Yard, he often supported this organization by walking and working with their foster dogs. Donations in his memory can be made at: https://www.pawsforlifenc.org/donate2
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.