Thomas E. Jobst

Tom Jobst died on Sunday 1 November 2026 in Ottawa, Illinois, aged 75, with his family by his side, according to the obituary published by Gladfelter-Roetker Funeral Home. No cause of death was made public. Shaw Local and WLPO reported his death on 4 November.

Marquette Academy paid tribute on Facebook, saying he gave 14 years of "dedication, discipline, leadership and heart" to its players and school community. He was survived by his wife, Ellen, his brother Michael and sister Mary Clair, and was preceded in death by his parents and his twin brother, Timothy.

Visitation was set for 6 November at Gladfelter-Roetker Funeral Home, with a funeral Mass on 7 November at St. Columba Catholic Church and burial at Ottawa Avenue Cemetery.

Thomas E. Jobst was born in Ottawa, Illinois, on 24 March 1951, the son of Ralph and Margaret (Melland) Jobst. He had a twin brother, Timothy J. Jobst, who died before him. He attended St. Francis of Assisi grade school and graduated from Ottawa High School, where he played football and was later inducted into the school's hall of fame as a team member and alumnus.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Iowa Wesleyan, a Master in Counseling from Sangamon State University, and both a certificate of advanced study and a Doctorate in Education from Illinois State University.

Jobst taught English and coached in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and at Hall High School in Spring Valley, Illinois, before becoming head football coach at New Berlin High School from 1976 to 1979 and at Morrison High School from 1980 to 1987. He was head coach at Ottawa Township High School from 1990 to 1992.

At Ottawa Township High School he also served as assistant principal, principal and finally superintendent, retiring as superintendent in 2007. He later worked as a counselor at Marquette Academy.

In 2010 he became head football coach at Marquette Academy, which had not reached the playoffs since 2001 and had gone 18-54 over the previous eight seasons. His first two teams went 0-9 and 2-7, but from 2012 Marquette made the playoffs every year until he stepped down after the 2024 season. Over 15 seasons he took the Crusaders to the IHSA playoffs 12 times and won 113 games there, according to WLPO. His overall head coaching record was 187-103, and he was inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016.

Jobst married Ellen Piacenti at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Ladd on 7 June 1975. He was a lector at St. Francis Church for more than 25 years, a member of the Knights of Columbus and Sigma Phi Epsilon, and a former coach of the Ottawa Eagles football team. He served on the boards of the United Way and the Ottawa Scouting and History Museum.

His hobbies included woodworking and stained glass, and he wrote several books on his family's genealogy. He also handmade thousands of cord rosaries that he gave away, encouraging people to pray the rosary daily.

Jobst is remembered for turning around struggling football programs, above all at Marquette Academy, where his teams went from a decade without playoff football to a long run of postseason appearances. He was inducted into the halls of fame of New Berlin, Morrison and Ottawa high schools and the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association, received Marquette's "Red" Wultzen Award for 2024-2025, and was due to enter the Marquette Academy Hall of Fame in December 2026.