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Jon passed away in 2003 at St. Luke's Hospital after suffering a massive heart attack and remaining in a coma for about a week. He had been an ER physician and was a Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Physicians. He was married to Dayna but had no children.
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Kim Besheer
Jon was my neighbor and best friend when we were 10 years old. I remember him as a prodigy on the piano; I would sit and listen, spellbound, as he played complicated classical pieces. Once he was invited to a MENSA meeting and asked me to check it out with him (still 10 years old). We went to the IBM building off of Ward Parkway and looked at the huge computers (much less powerful than a contemporary laptop)and hung out with the MENSA types. He wasn't too impressed with it all... Later, at Southwest after a long hiatus in our friendship, he invited me to play drums in a little Dixieland group for the Redskin Revels and this time we got to play our respective instruments together... I can imagine that he must have been a kind and brilliant physician from what I knew of his intelligence and character. Kim BesheerBill Merryman
I agree with Kim's kind words. Jon always had a friendly word, a ready smile, and a quick wit. He must have been one hell of a physician. I remember consulting him on what then were the big issues of the day, like "how do I pass chemistry?" The world misses truly good people like Jon. He was a credit to humanity.Bill Merryman
Darrell Panethiere
Thanks Kim, and Bill, for writing about Jon. I miss him too, and, being far away, was shocked to find out about his death only now. I probably spent more time with Jon than with any other Southwest classmate during our years there and in the time immediately thereafter; so this hits hard.Jon was extraordinary, in ways most of our classmates probably didn't notice. As a musician, he was tops: he played Weber's Konzertstueck, an amazingly hard piece, with the Kansas City Philharmonic while we were still sophomores at Southwest. Even though I have worked professionally in the music business for a long time now, I still don't think I've ever run into another performer who was as naturally gifted in every technical aspect of music as Jon was at a very young age. And, best of all, he had fun with it. He is someone who really could have done anything he set his mind to.
Kim, I hope we hear from the rest of the Dixiecrats - Herman Schaeffer and Steve Kellepouris? - too. He was the anchor of our group.
It saddens me most that Jon took the trouble to find me over the internet a few years ago. I thought it was only 2 or 3 years, but I guess it must have been longer. He sent an email saying hello, but due to a computer crash and general laziness I never got around to answering it, though I always intended to. And now I've missed my chance. Well, that's a lesson to us all; or at least to me.
Laurie Snedden
I lived next door to Jon on Gregory throughout my childhood. Despite sharing a driveway I did not know him well. He was kind of quiet. But I do remember his mother playing what she called Honky Tonk piano on their upright piano in the front hall. When Jon won the piano competition with the symphony I was impressed. I was even more impressed when his mother said he had learned the classical piece by ear and was having trouble learning to play from the sheet music the symphony used.I knew he was very intelligent and was glad to hear he became a doctor. I wondered if he kept up with the music.