Patrick L. Willis never backed down in the face of hardships! And, it was with the undying support of his foster parents. The esteemed former NFL linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers faced multiple challenges at various junctures. While he was born to Ernest Willis and Loretta Lynn Anderson in Bruceton, Tennessee, his mother left the family abandoning him at the age of four. And, Ernest was the primary caregiver for Patrick and his siblings, Orey, Detris, and Ernicka.

But, things became complex, as Ernest turned abusive due to substance abuse. Patrick worked full-time to support his family but never disregarded his father. “My dad had his flaws, but he showed us the importance of hard work. I carry that with me every day on and off the field,” Patrick remarked.

However, things took an endearing turn when Patrick turned 17. This is when Chris and Julie Finley stepped into his life. After a violent exchange, Patrick Willis reported his father to school counselors, and his football coach Rod Sturdivant intervened in the scenario. Sturdivant, who was a part of Child Protective Services, handed over the caregiving of the Willis children to the Finleys temporarily.

By profession, both Chris and Julie were educators. Chris served as the Assistant Principal at Hollow Rock-Bruceton Special School District, while Julie taught at the elementary school. In 2002, Chris and Julie Finley were only 25 and had married recently. However, they opened their four-bedroom trailer home to Willis’s children.

While initially they sought to accommodate all of them, raising four teenagers was not an easy task. Hence, the state assigned Patrick and Orey to the Finleys, while Ernicka and Detris moved to  another foster family. Patrick has always been thankful for their support as he refers to them as “Mom & Dad.”

The holistic bond between Patrick Willis and his foster parents

Talking about his love for his foster parents, Patrick Willis remarked, “I call them Mom and Dad because that’s what they are to me. They took us in when we had nowhere else to go and treated us like their own.” The Finleys offered rock-solid support to Patrick across his high school years at Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central High School, as he began to excel in athletics. Moreover, he also received community support as it helped him launch into the world of the NFL. Thanking the community, Patrick once remarked, “Bruceton is my home. The people there always believed in me and supported me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”

While Chris and Julie Finley, had their own children, Parker and Ava, after Patrick went to college, they were fully committed to him. Even though the streak of tragedies didn’t end, owing to Patrick’s brother Detris’ untimely death in 2006, the Finleys helped him regain his strength to excel and make his name. And, indeed Patrick has proved that he is a true gem!