I was saddened to hear of Jonathan's passing. I used to walk past his house on my "long" journey "uphill" to school everyday from first grade on and Jon's house was the first house I would pass. He had that huge fort in the backyard that he and his buddies used to hang out and occasionally sleep in. I'll bet it's still there today! I lost touch with him but will always remember him from elementary school as a nice, quiet and funny kid.
Believe it or not most of my memories of Jonathan are from my days at Markham Elementary. I think he came to my birthday party every year from kindergarten until fourth grade when we moved. He was quiet but he was also the funniest person I knew. He was a great friend.
I'd like to think Jon's old clubhouse is still there, Denette, as anyone who was ever over Jon's house will certainly remember it. It was the coolest. It even had bunkbeds.
Jon was a close friend, and thinking back, he had the unusual qualities of being quiet, yet very, very funny. Over a penny poker game (a regular pastime at the Martin's), he once placed a large, whole navel orange into his mouth and ate it. Maybe you had to be there, but besides the incredible fact he got it into his mouth in the first place, and he didn't choke on it, it was a riot.
After graduating high school, Jon spent a few semesters at the University of Texas before realizing it wasn't for him, so he picked up and moved to Vermont to become a furniture maker's apprentice, which would have been no surprise to anyone who saw Jon draw or build wood models. When I visited Jonathan many years ago he was making beautiful handmade furniture from his "gentleman's farm" in Prosperity, PA. Besides furniture, he had restored the wood chassis of a vintage fire truck he was rebuilding. You got the feeling there wasn't anything he couldn't do. I guess that's what led him to want to become a commercial pilot.
Jon was a loving father with four kids (two sets of twins), who must have worshipped him as the coolest dad a kid could have. I know Jonathan's friends will miss him dearly, but he certainly wasn't one to get overly emotional. Even so, I do think he'd smile knowing that by remembering him, we're reminded not to let those we love slip too far away. I know I'll always regret not staying closer with him, so maybe we all got a little closer last weekend.
Denette Pollock
I was saddened to hear of Jonathan's passing. I used to walk past his house on my "long" journey "uphill" to school everyday from first grade on and Jon's house was the first house I would pass. He had that huge fort in the backyard that he and his buddies used to hang out and occasionally sleep in. I'll bet it's still there today! I lost touch with him but will always remember him from elementary school as a nice, quiet and funny kid.Kieran O'Malley
Believe it or not most of my memories of Jonathan are from my days at Markham Elementary. I think he came to my birthday party every year from kindergarten until fourth grade when we moved. He was quiet but he was also the funniest person I knew. He was a great friend.Kieran O'Malley
John Kaminski
I'd like to think Jon's old clubhouse is still there, Denette, as anyone who was ever over Jon's house will certainly remember it. It was the coolest. It even had bunkbeds.Jon was a close friend, and thinking back, he had the unusual qualities of being quiet, yet very, very funny. Over a penny poker game (a regular pastime at the Martin's), he once placed a large, whole navel orange into his mouth and ate it. Maybe you had to be there, but besides the incredible fact he got it into his mouth in the first place, and he didn't choke on it, it was a riot.
After graduating high school, Jon spent a few semesters at the University of Texas before realizing it wasn't for him, so he picked up and moved to Vermont to become a furniture maker's apprentice, which would have been no surprise to anyone who saw Jon draw or build wood models. When I visited Jonathan many years ago he was making beautiful handmade furniture from his "gentleman's farm" in Prosperity, PA. Besides furniture, he had restored the wood chassis of a vintage fire truck he was rebuilding. You got the feeling there wasn't anything he couldn't do. I guess that's what led him to want to become a commercial pilot.
Jon was a loving father with four kids (two sets of twins), who must have worshipped him as the coolest dad a kid could have. I know Jonathan's friends will miss him dearly, but he certainly wasn't one to get overly emotional. Even so, I do think he'd smile knowing that by remembering him, we're reminded not to let those we love slip too far away. I know I'll always regret not staying closer with him, so maybe we all got a little closer last weekend.