One of our favorite "young Jon" stories, as related by his brother Jeff:
As the child born to a family of grownups, Jon took an especial
interest in his older siblings toys and hobbies. When Jonathan was
about 4, he just couldn’t leave my carefully crafted world war II
airplane models alone. While I was at school one day, he took them out
to play with them and they ended up crashed in my display cabinet in a
realistic war scene. Naturally as a 13 year old, I was livid about his
destruction of my cherished hard work. I complained loudly to my
mother and in the kitchen and yelled at Jonathan and told him to never
touch my models again. After I stomped away in frustration, Jonathan
disappeared into the downstairs bathroom.
When he reappeared in the kitchen, Jon had disguised himself with a big
towel wrapped as a shawl around his shoulders and his hair was adorned
with bobby pins, hair clips and curlers. Walking by him on the way out
of the house, I retorted, don’t touch my models again. To which
Jonathan bemoaned to our mother, “Shucks he recognized me.”
Life Sketch of Jonathan Gerritt Peter Paine
Delivered on January 10, 2009
Birth and Early Life in Pittsburgh
Jonathan was the fifth child of the Peter and Pamela Paine family. After many years of waiting, Pamela and Peter were blessed with the long prayed for and hoped for pregnancy. Older siblings had mixed emotions. I recall that the older brothers David, Joel, and myself who were 12, 11, and 9 respectively considered the looming event with indifference not realizing how the new baby might change the household. Older Sister Kelly who was 7, eagerly prayed for a sister to compensate for the stinky boys she had to live with. Jonathan was born in Pittsburgh, PA on June 4, 1973 early in the morning. I recall that Kelly and I were a little surprised when we got up to see my dad home helping with getting us ready for school since my mother was at the hospital. We eagerly told our teachers of the event that day at school since it was very exciting.
Since Kelly had been hoping and praying for a sister she was naturally a little disappointed at first. When Kelly saw the baby Jonathan, like everyone who met him, she realized that he was a long awaited gift from heaven. She willingly took on the role of junior mother and protector and has never let up since.
Jonathan’s early life was marked by the at-times loving and at-times not so loving teasing that comes with 3 significantly older brothers who think of him as a living football and a sister who considers him a living doll. He survived being a target for blowguns shot innocently by older brothers, and suffered good naturedly through the roughhousing by us boys and being dressed up for tea parties by Kelly.
At 18 months old, Jon gained two additional mothers as Jo Paine and Vicki Johnson joined our crowded household in Pittsburgh. Sisters to Pam and Peter, they found it easy to nurture Jonathan and shower him with love and attention which Jonathan eagerly devoured. Even at that age, Jonathan’s gracious and accepting spirit was manifest and helped to heal Jo’s and Vicki’s spirits from previous troubles. These early demonstrations of Jonathan’s Christ-like acceptance and love for others are what most of us will remember from the way he touched each of us.
Jonathan became an accepting, loving, and joyful spirit to interact and play with and brought happiness to each life he touched. Jonathan responded well to Vicki and Jo’s encouragement and love and over the years they blossomed together.
A desire to follow the commandments was always in Jonathan’s nature. He did not seek out opportunities to be disobedient or malicious. Though on occasion, like most of us, if he could do something to deflect the consequences of his actions, he was not above the attempt.
As the child born to a family of grownups, Jon took an especial interest in his older siblings toys and hobbies. When Jonathan was about 4, he just couldn’t leave my carefully crafted world war II airplane models alone. While I was at school one day, he took them out to play with them and they ended up crashed in my display cabinet in a realistic war scene. Naturally as a 13 year old, I was livid about his destruction of my cherished hard work. I complained loudly to my mother and in the kitchen and yelled at Jonathan and told him to never touch my models again. After I stomped away in frustration, Jonathan disappeared into the downstairs bathroom.
When he reappeared in the kitchen, Jon had disguised himself with a big towel wrapped as a shawl around his shoulders and his hair was adorned with bobby pins, hair clips and curlers. Walking by him on the way out of the house, I retorted, don’t touch my models again. To which Jonathan bemoaned to our mother, “Shucks he recognized me”.
Other than these good nature mistakes, I do not recall Jonathan having any negative or mean tendencies. In fact he was gracious to all of the potentially negative things that we brothers and sisters bombarded him with. It must be said that one of the most significant attributes that Jonathan gained in the process of spending 6 wonderful years in Pittsburgh was to become a true Steelers fan. Everyone who hails from Pittsburgh knows that this is the sign of being a genuine Pittsburgher.
Growing up in San Jose
At the age of 6, Jonathan began a new phase of his life in San Jose as our family moved there for my father to take a new job opportunity. While growing up from 6 to 18 in San Jose, Jon had a great group of friends who helped him develop some great talents and attributes.
Jon was always a ham. His unique wit and singing skills were cultivated at an early age. Many may argue whether he could actually sing – but he certainly expressed himself in a musical fashion. As a teenager he created numerous semi-musical recordings including a rock video and various musical CDs.As a pre-teen Jon and his friends liked the wild Rock and Roll music popular at that time. Wanting to make his mark, he set up a secretive jam session in our parents back room. His friend Clark Johns was on makeshift drums (Jon had taken my mom’s pots and tupperware and taped them together). Ryan Stringham had his new guitar (the only real instrument) and muddled thought a few chords. John john Wallace ran the tape recorder as sound engineer and Jon made himself the lead singer. He screamed out his favorite original songs with names like: “Paine out of the grave”, “Bring in the Paine”, and his favorite, “Down Paine Lane”. After recording as much as they could stand, he made an underground rock CD and secretly sent it out to his siblings and friends. When Carolyn and I received it we weren’t sure whether the screaming was from Jon or they had recorded the dying moments of a stuck pig.
As a teenager Jon and his friends covered the San Jose Almaden Valley as early morning newspaper carriers. He learned the importance of hard work and discipline. Even though he often didn’t enjoy delivering papers, he followed through with his duties and firmly set created a personal attribute of accepting hard work when it was asked of him.
As a young teenager, Jon learned to enjoy the finer things in life. He was dragged around to cultural events with his parents and learned to appreciate the symphony almost as much as his beloved rock bands. He was able to travel around the world and around this country with his parents and Jo and Vicki. In these travels he found ways to appreciate the beauties that are available in this world. He often sought out the opportunities to enjoy fine dining and fine company. My mother, a self taught gourmet chef enjoyed using Jon as a guinea pig for her culinary creations. Jon was well suited to being her taster and gladly took on the task.
Jonathan used to write poetry and stories, illustrate them and sometimes even create a musical score.
At 19, Jon served an honorable mission to Peoria, IL from 1992 to 1994. He had a strong testimony of the gospel and expressed it in many ways. Some of the most exciting events of his mission involved him sharing the gospel through his examples of service and love.
Story of pole in the tent
After his mission, Jon turned to his education and selected Utah Valley Community College (now Utah Valley University) for an opportunity to gain a college degree and to determine what he wanted to make of his life. During this long period, he worked to put himself through school and had many jobs where he touched many people and developed lasting friendships.
Scripture of Heavenly Father’s Plan
Jonathan understood and had a testimony of the Plan of Salvation and the need for all of Heavenly Father’s children to work and to carryout the principles and ordinances of the Gospel that would bring each of us to the Celestial Kingdom. One thing was missing from his life. The greatest desire of his heart was to find an eternal mate and to fulfill the great and everlasting covenant.
For many years after his mission, Jon expressed to me his great hope and desire to find the person who would make his life complete. As time passed he was a little dismayed at how long it was taking him, but he never stopped trying or lagged in his desire to fulfill this part of his mission. He continually sought ways to better himself and to become the man that he knew he could become.
Even before he was married he developed a great capacity for father-like love and compassion. He became the favorite uncle and friend to many of his nieces, nephews, cousins and cousin’s kids. He was a great father and example of righteous priesthood to many children. Nicole’s children recall him playing chess and the ant game with them. Jonathan loved Kelly's children and always made them feel like they had a big brother who would play games with them and tease them into doing the right things. With my children, Jon always showed a special interest and sent birthday cards with great poems and messages for each child. One time while visiting at Thanksgiving, Jon spent an entire afternoon oiutside with the three boys, playing a wet, muddy game of football. They loved it.
Dawn and Jon
Over the years Jon found various ways to date through various introductions and self made opportunities. From my understanding, sometime over a year ago Jon began emailing and interacting with a lovely librarian in Provo. Over the course of their courtship Jon developed a strong romantic interest in Dawn and began bringing her to the Sunday afternoon family dinners and game-time. In periodic updates to my wife and I via telephone and email we observed his courtship with Dawn develop. He would often ask me for advice, which I instructed was a mistake being that I am an unromantic engineer. Instead pointed him to Carolyn, my wife, for guidance and direction. She already knew that he was a great person and helped him recognize that he just needed to be himself and express that to Dawn.
While they dated, he regaled her with his humor and dry wit. Kelly, was often the host of the Sunday afternoon dinners and observed that Dawn quickly caught on to Kelly and Jon’s sarcastic humor and became quite adept at parrying with the two of them.
Dawn’s remembers one sentiment that she learned about Jon that helped convince her that he was the right person. She recalls that he learned from his dad that the best relationships are built on service and love. A favorite saying of Jon’s came from an experience he had while helping his dad during one of the many remodeling projects that they completed for my mom on his parent’s home. In the midst of a dusty, sweaty, and frustrating dismantling activity, Jon looked to dad and asked: “Why are we doing this Dad?” Dad wisely replied: “I have learned that a happy wife equals a happy life”. With this statement Dawn knew she had found the right man.
It was Jon’s goal to always make Dawn happy – and he did.
Jon had rare musical talents which manifested themselves in most interesting ways. Dawn and Jon had attended a Beethoven Symphony Concert and the piece “Ode to Joy” was movingly sung in German. Later that week in a moment of romantic inspiration, Jon impressed Dawn with a rousing rendition of his version of “Ode to Joy”. Remembering his high school German, he sang “Ode to Joy” for Dawn in full German Operatic fashion. Dawn was so impressed by his amazing grasp of the German language that it took Jon a few days to finally admit that instead of actually singing the opera he was only reciting German numbers with an occasional German insult thrown in.
Amidst this kind of lighthearted joviality Jon really did have great writing talent. In the course of his courtship with Dawn, he wrote to her the following. She wanted me to share this personal glimpse into their romance with all of you so that we could gain a greater understanding of Jon’s true nature.
A poem to Dawn….
No sunshine in my mourn
E’en though the sun was shining.
In darkness slept forlorn,
Morose, self pity pining.
Not til my afternoon
Did slumber turn awakening –
A stirring opportune
When, through clouds,
Dawn came breaking.
Jon’s greatest desire was fulfilled on Sep 20th, 2008 when he took Dawn to the Salt Lake LDS Temple and was sealed for time and all eternity. Beginning their eternal relationship. A month or so after their wedding, Jon’s heart condition that had been seemingly under control manifested itself again. He was exposed to a number of treatments over the course of the next few months. He was able to come home from his stay at the hospital at Christmastime but he was still physically weak. During these months Jon and Dawn received great support from their friends and the the members of their ward in the form of blessings, prayers and love. A few days after Christmas, he continued to weaken and he returned to the hospital. Needing emergency surgery to repair damage to his body, the surgeons at Univerity of Utah Medical Center worked on him the evening of January 6th. His body was unable to recover and he passed from this mortal existence to return to his heavenly family.
While Jon and Dawn have only had a short time together on the earth, I know that this is only the beginning and that they will have the opportunity to continue their romance forever and ever.
How Jon will be remembered
One the anecdotes that Dawn shared with me will stay in my mind as it demonstrates one of his most significant personal attributes. As they went to put Dawn’s car on Jon’s insurance, Dawn’s frugality impressed her to find the cheapest insurance quote. Jon had a friend in the insurance industry and was concerned that his friend’s quote would not receive the appropriate level of consideration. Upon discussion he explained to Dawn that he felt that loyalty to friends trumped frugality. This impressed Dawn and convinced her to go with the friends quote and reinforced to Dawn the value that he placed on loyalty, love and acceptance of others.
I think that of all of his personality traits I will remember him for his love, acceptance and loyalty to his family, friends and acquaintances. He made everyone feel comfortable about being around him and demonstrated to them an example of the true love of Christ.
We who remain here on this earth without Jon should remember that while the words death and happiness are generally not used together in this mortal mission, in the eternal sense they are essential to one another. Death is a mechanism of rescue. To those of us left behind, Jon’s death brings sadness for we will miss his joyful smile, his jaunty attitude, and his friendly/loving ways. For Jonathan and the host of family members who greeted him on Tuesday night, there was a joyful reunion with heavenly orchestras sounding out a jubilant song of return. Jonathan understood and had a testimony of the principle that death leads to salvation. I recall in the passing of our Father nearly 14 years ago, that when Jonathan (then 21) and I had a quiet moment to reflect on his passing, we both bore strong testimony to each other that we knew that he was now reunited with our Brother Joel and Grandpa Paine.
For the first few years of his life, Jonathan and I shared a bedroom. The year that he was one and I was 10, I lost many a night’s sleep staying up by his cribside and patting him on the back to keep him from crying. Our mother would scold me complaining that I was spoiling him and that he would not learn to put himself to sleep. How I wish that I now had the opportunity to pat him on the back and spoil him some more.
