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BORN
1962
DIED
2015
Jonathan Diehl Obituary
April 9, 1962 - April 8, 2015
Jonathan W. Diehl passed away after patiently enduring four years of stomach cancer and its treatment. The youngest of four, Jon was born and raised in Stockton, California, the son of Joseph W. and Joan Diehl. A 1980 graduate of St. Mary's HS, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He went on to earn an M.S. in Entomology from Oregon State University (go Beavs!), and pursued a PhD in Entomology at Arizona State University. He married his college sweetheart, Claire, in 1986; their daughter, Grace, was born in 1996.
Jon worked as a research scientist for the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Station until the lure of the law seduced him away. He graduated in 2000 from Arizona State Law School and clerked for Judge Sheldon Weisburg at the Arizona Court of Appeals. In 2001, Jon and Claire made the welcome move back to Oregon, and Jon worked for the judges of the Marion County Circuit Court. In 2004 he took a job with the Oregon Department of Justice, where he stayed until his retirement, and made many good friends who stood by him during his difficult last year.
Jon's passion was exploring nature. He was never happier than with binoculars and a camera, appreciating Oregon's natural wonders, especially with his dog by his side. Jon was also a distance runner and cyclist and knew every back road in the Willamette Valley. He was a quiet, humble man with a magpie brain who remembered everything he ever read, and his unexpectedly dry sense of humor entertained anyone lucky enough to have a conversation with him.
He is greatly mourned by his wife, Claire, and daughter, Grace; his mother Joan; sister Sarah and her husband James Clay Moltz; sister Dorothy Diehl; and brother Joe and his wife Anne. Jon's father, Joe, passed away in 2012.
Friends and family are invited to a memorial service held at the Grand Hotel in downtown Salem on Saturday, May 2nd at 2:00 pm. Flowers are always welcome, as are donations in Jon's name to the Nature Conservancy or the Willamette Humane Society.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Jonathan Diehl
April 18, 2015
So sad to lose such a good man so young.
April 16, 2015
A marker indicates the date you are born and the date you pass on with a dash in between. In life, the most important part is the dash. Your accomplishments and the lives you have touched between the two dates. Jon touched so many lives and he will be dearly missed. We have all been blessed to have been able to share so much time with him here on earth. Our prayers are with you and your family. Cori and Jon Wunderlin, Salem, Oregon
Carolyn Bennett-Hunter
April 13, 2015
Jon was one of the easier-going attorneys I've had the pleasure to work for over the years, always cheerful no matter what the circumstances, and was someone who made a difference in the lives of those around him. He was an inspiration to others in how he dealt with everything he endured and will be missed by those who knew him.
Gayle Price
April 13, 2015
Jon was always a wonderful person to work with, very solid straight forward and caring. Will miss him greatly.
Sarah Diehl
April 12, 2015
I greatly miss Jon's wisdom and wit, but know his spirit lives on in the memories of all those fortunate to have known him.
Richard Heli
April 12, 2015
I'm sorry to learn of this. My condolences to the family.
I went to high school with Jon. Back in those days he, Valerie and I all dreamed of becoming lawyers. It's great to see that one of us actually made it.
Jon used to tell a funny joke that I still re-tell. He would say that he never wanted to go hiking or camping because he would have to wear shorts and then he might be mistaken for a banana slug. :)
It's pretty amazing to learn that he came to find the most happiness in nature.
May he rest in peace.
Julie Schnell
April 12, 2015
My heart goes out to you and Grace. Jon is truly a great man, husband, and father. A valient soul! He will be missed. All our love, Julie and Christian
peter & sherry mc cullagh
April 11, 2015
our thoughts, prayers and may the Lords' comfort be with you all at this time,
until when you all meet again.........
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