Jonathan Lev Epstein

Jonathan Epstein was born on the morning of July 12, 1984 in Portland, Oregon. Since he was able to walk, Jonathan loved to play basketball. As a toddler, he began shooting baskets into a miniature hoop made by his grandfather. By the age of 10, all of his older brothers could no longer guard him. During his youth, Jonathan participated in various basketball camps, learning the fundamentals of the game. He played varsity basketball for Grant High School and briefly for a junior college in the San Francisco Bay Area. Until the very end of his life, Jonathan was an avid fan of college and professional men’s basketball and a loyal Duck fan. Jonathan passed away at 1:00am on March 17, 2016. Jonathan completed his studies earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism with a concentration in Media Studies at the University of Oregon. During his time in college, Jonathan became an astute student of filmmaking and produced a documentary on the gentrification of North Portland. Jonathan loved watching movies with family and friends, especially with his brothers. Jonathan worked for OnPoint Community Credit Union, originally in their banking department, and eventually transitioning into their IT department, where he had many friends. He enjoyed the camaraderie and especially the Friday morning donuts. Jonathan loved to try new restaurants with friends and family. He was also a gourmet cook at home and became well known for his different variations of macaroni and cheese that accompanied many special dinner occasions. Jonathan loved to travel. He enjoyed the family vacations to Seaside, Black Butte, Hawaii and Disneyland. He loved Disneyland and enjoyed all the rides, but especially the Tower of Terror, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones and Peter Pan. Jonathan loved setting off fireworks on the Fourth of July. Every year he would take his nephews to Washington or the Indian reservation and buy illegal fireworks. We would have a barbeque and then we would wait impatiently for it to get dark - they usually set some off in daylight - we all had so much fun. Jonathan made friends wherever he went and everyone enjoyed his wonderful sense of humor. Jonathan loved his family and enjoyed being together for family dinners, holidays and special occasions. Jonathan knew how to enjoy life and he knew what was important in life. Jonathan leaves behind the love of his life, Arielle, his parents Diane and Jordan, his brothers Larry, Tom, and Kevin, his sisters Shoshanah and Natanya, his sisters-in-law Tonya, Akiko and Pella, his nephews Jake and Reece, his niece Hanna, his Uncle Lowell, his Aunt Kathy and Uncle Dick, his cousins Rick, Lynn and Dave and their children Luke, Sarah, and Paul and his cat, Tigger. We will all miss him. There will be a celebration of life for Jonathan on April 2, starting promptly at 1:00pm in the ballroom of McMenamins Edgefield. In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be sent to Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, Oregon. http://catadoptionteam.org/ Service Information