Julian Obligado could always be seen wearing Supreme. When he wasn’t wearing it, he was buying more of the skateboarding brand or selling what he owned to his friends.
It is even mentioned in the details of the public Facebook event for his viewing and service, which is hosted by his 23-year-old brother, Leoni Obligado. The event suggests wearing black funeral attire, purple, Obligado’s favorite color, or clothing from his signature brand.
The UF business management senior with an infectious smile and laugh died by cardiac arrest on Saturday in Dallas, Texas, while on vacation with friends, Leoni and family friend Mark Pangilinan said. He was 21.
“If Julian requested one thing for his funeral, he would’ve asked to be wearing Supreme for his service,” the event details read.
Obligado’s loved ones described him as a selfless and down-to-earth brother, son and friend.
“The biggest part of Julian’s personality is what he got from his dad — his big heart,” Leoni said.
Obligado’s father, Leonardo, died three years ago from organ failure, he said.
The GoFundMe page, which was created by Leoni, his mother, Emma, and Pangilinan to pay for funeral expenses, mentioned Obligado reuniting with his father.
“It is difficult to say goodbye, but we know he is joining his Papa up above to watch over all of us,” the page read.
The GoFundMe page has raised $10,781 out of its $25,000 goal by donations from 177 people in two days, as of Thursday evening.
Obligado was born on Aug. 7, 1997, in San Francisco, California. The family wanted a new place to call home and decided to move to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2004, Leoni said.
He transferred to UF after earning his associate’s degree from Florida State College at Jacksonville, Leoni said. Obligado was a member of the UF Culinary Arts Student Union and worked at Bento, located on Archer Road, for about a year as a wok chef.
Obligado planned to graduate from UF in Fall 2020, Leoni said. He wanted to get a master’s degree in business while Leoni went to dental school. The brothers hoped to open a dentistry practice together after they finished their schooling.
Obligado was a member of the UF Filipino Student Association. He met Pangilinan, 23, who graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in applied physiology and kinesiology, through the organization when he was a junior.
Pangilinan and Obligado instantly clicked over their similar personalities, sense of humor and shared love for Filipino culture and video games such as Fortnite and RuneScape. Obligado was known for making uncomfortable situations comfortable and for making funny situations even funnier, Pangilinan said.
One of his favorite memories of Obligado was his dancing every time he went out with friends. They often went to The Social at Midtown, Salty Dog Saloon or Grog House, Pangilinan said.
Obligado ammussed his friends when he danced the robot upon request, he said. His friends would tell him to do it, and he would momentarily refuse before suddenly breaking out into the dance. Obligado started this tradition out of the blue about a year ago.
Pangilinan was initially friends with Leoni. His friendship with Julian grew when Leoni brought his younger brother along to hang out with his friends, he said.
“He was everybody’s little brother,” Pangilinan said. “That’s the kind of the person he grew to be with our friend group: a little brother that all of us watched over.”
Obligado’s viewing will begin Monday at 10 a.m at Aaron and Burney Bivens Funeral Home in Orange Park, Florida. The funeral service will follow at 11 a.m.
Pangilinan hopes people remember how Obligado went out of his way to help others. When friends came over to his house, he cooked for them. If they spent the night, Pangilinan said Obligado offered to give them clothes and a shower.
“That’s kind of the person people should remember him by,” Pangilinan said. “Someone that really put everyone else before himself.”
Julian Obligado, a 21-year-old UF business management senior, was known for his love of cooking, video games and Supreme clothing.
