Jonathan Jefferson

Jonathan Keith Jefferson, an avid triathlete and swimmer who coached countless hesitant first-time athletes through their first ocean swim, died on February 2 in San Diego. He was 50. Jonathan, known to his friends as J.J., was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic lung cancer in February, 2013. With such a rare diagnosis for a non-smoking, middle-aged athlete, his story was chronicled last year in the Union-Tribune. For that article, Jonathan reflected, "I realize it's kind of a role that I have, that you may not have chosen, but it's a role of motivator, of being a good example. … I want to be a good example just by being myself." For the bulk of his professional career, Jonathan was a Financial Advisor, most recently with LPL Financial. But his passion was in endurance sports. A life-long waterman, Jonathan joined his first community swim team at age 13 in Flemington, N.J. During high school and college, he lifeguarded at Round Valley Reservoir in Clinton, N.J., and on Cape Cod's Nauset Beach. Additionally, he coached the Copper Hill Country Club swim team in Flemington, and swam at the collegiate level for Ohio Wesleyan University ('87). In 1984, J.J. completed his first triathlon, the Major Walter M. Murphy Memorial Triathlon, on Staten Island, finishing in 10th place. Of the swim's conditions, Jonathan once said, "If you think De Anza Cove's water is bad, try Great Kills Harbor at low tide. De Anza is Perrier compared to that." Two years later, he would run the 1986 Columbus Marathon in a personal best time of 3:10. In 1987, Jonathan began working as a salesman for Brooks Brothers in New York City. In 1988, he was asked to help open a new store in La Jolla. Because Jonathan was getting more serious about his triathlon training, he thought it would be a good move, and so relocated to San Diego. He subsequently worked in sales at other companies for a few years before training for the financial investment and advising field. Jonathan joined the Triathlon Club of San Diego (TCSD) in 2006, and soon after became their Beginner Open Water Swim Coach. Many triathlon neophytes are apprehensive about the swim, especially when it's in the ocean. J.J. eased their fears, and even helped them love open-water swimming. TCSD Beginner Coach Steve Tally said, "Not leading those swims was one of the things J.J. missed the most, and up until very recently he was trying to figure out when he would be able to get back in his wetsuit, even if just for a dip." Every year, a group of runners completes the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon dressed as Elvis. Jonathan joined the group in 2010, and personalized his costume to be SpongeBob Elvis. Explaining his decision to run 26 miles in a 22-pound costume made of PVC pipe, chicken wire, expansion foam, and wall spackle (which, mid-race, would be accessorized with duct tape), J.J. said, "Is there really a 'good' answer? I did it for fun." Bob Babbitt—Competitor Publishing founder and running Elvii ringleader—said of J.J., "He had to stop numerous times to fix the PVC pipe inside SpongeBob and, of course, to take photos with every kid on the side of the road excited to be so close to SpongeBob." Jonathan went on to reprise the SpongeBob Elvis costume at racecourses all over Southern California, as athlete, spectator, cheerleader, and aid station volunteer. In 2011, Jonathan participated in the Challenged Athletes Foundation's Million Dollar Challenge, raising $10,000 by riding his bicycle from San Francisco to San Diego. Daniel Powell—TCSD member, Challenged Athletes supporter, and cancer survivor—said, "He was a generous, genuine gentleman, full of fun and love and laughter. I never heard anyone say anything negative about him. His wonderful qualities are carried on through all who knew him." Jonathan also volunteered with TCSD Cares, the charity arm of TCSD, which supports local athletes with special needs. J.J. coached their athletes of Team Solana, who raise money by competing in the Solana Beach Triathlon. When not training or giving back, Jonathan played poker with a group of friends called Core 5. The group has been together for over 20 years. As members married and had children, the meetings switched from monthly to quarterly. J.J. was integral to keeping the group going, not so much for the poker, but rather the camaraderie of the group. With members eager to chat and catch up at the beginning of each evening, Jonathan would always cordially interrupt with, "Gentleman, what are the chances of us actually playing a hand of poker tonight?" Says member Mike Boyle, "Jonathan relished his times getting together with friends and playing cards. … He was loved and will be terribly missed." In 2011, Jonathan joined the San Diego Beekeeping Society, an activity he learned from his father as a child. As a board member from 2012-2013, Jonathan was at the forefront of the Society's efforts to revise the City of San Diego's Beekeeping Ordinance, which allowed single-family homes, community gardens, and retail farms to have two beehives. Jonathan and his wife, Marilou, kept up to 50 beehives throughout San Diego County, and sold their organic honey and beeswax candles under the name San Diego Honey Buzz. At the inception of their business, J.J. pledged that a dollar from every pound of honey sold would be donated to TCSD Cares. Jonathan was born on August 3, 1964 in Quakertown, N.J., to Richard and Priscilla Jefferson, now of Annandale, N.J. Along with both parents, Jonathan is survived by his fraternal twin brother, Timothy Brian Jefferson, of Glen Gardner, N.J.; brother, Richard (Jeff) Jefferson, Jr., of Lexington, S.C.; wife, Marilou Jefferson, of San Diego; and their pit bull, Rusty, and cat, Azul. Jeff remembers that, despite being a younger brother, Jonathan always wanted him to feel included and valued in their childhood. "His friends were older and 'cooler' than me," says Jeff, "and I thought he would be kind of embarrassed to have his kid brother hanging around. But he always made me feel important and a part of everything he did, enthusiastically saying, 'This is my brother, Jeff.' I want to be that way to others."