Jonathan Ira Yavelow

1951 - 2020
Beloved husband, father, professor, and friend Jonathan Ira Yavelow, of Ewing, NJ, passed away on October 29th, 2020, from lung cancer. He was 68 years old.

A warm, exuberant personality, Jonathan is remembered as a force of nature, a joyful, generous man who brought out the best in people with his curiosity and compassion.

"Anything involving Jonathan was almost guaranteed to be more lively, interesting and fun," says Dr. Kelly Bidle, the dean of Rider's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "He was not just a wonderful and brilliant colleague; he was an amazing person and mentor who left an impression on everyone who had the chance to know him. We are devastated by this loss."

He is survived by his wife Joy Kreves Yavelow and daughter Ivia Sky Yavelow, and his cousins. Jonathan was predeceased by his parents and older brother Mark Nathan Yavelow.

Born in 1951 to Vivian Goodman Yavelow and Bernard Yavelow, Jonathan grew up in Montclair, NJ, York, PA, and New York City.

His BS in Biology from American University was followed by a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles in 1978. He taught biology at Vassar College before coming to Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ in 1982, where as a tenured full professor he taught for 38 years.

He married the artist Joy Ann Kreves in 1984. With their daughter Ivia, they moved to Ewing, NJ in 1993.

At Rider, Jonathan served as the assistant dean for the sciences, faculty director of the University's Health Studies Institute and the chair of the biology department. He helped lead the Science Advisory Board and mentored students in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. In May 2020, Rider University established The Jonathan Yavelow Scholarship Fund.

Jonathan was passionate about the beauty and power of scientific thought, sustainability and health, and the relationship between environmental and human health. His friend Freeman Dyson invited him to be a Visiting Member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton from 2011-12, where he worked on his book "Stargazing to Sustainability: Appreciating the Scientific Process," published in 2013.

In 2012 Jonathan was appointed by the Governor of NJ to serve as a Commissioner on the New Jersey State Commission on Cancer Research, which he did until 2018. In April 2020 he received a commendation from Governor Murphy for his work in the field of cancer research and was lauded by the New Jersey State Senate. He also worked with Genesis Farm in Blairstown, NJ, and with United Front Against Riverblindness (UFAR).

With his big smile and enthusiastic hugs, Jonathan made friends everywhere he went. Whether inspiring generations of students, playing the piano, or visiting art exhibitions with his wife and daughter, he loved his life and lived it to the fullest.

Contributions to the Jonathan Yavelow Scholarship Fund at Rider University can be made at https://rideru.thankyou4caring.org/YavelowScholarship.