Jon Gariepy

1940 - 2020

Jon Gariepy
Jon Gariepy, of Petaluma, died at home from heart failure in the company of his family on September 11, 2020. He was 80. Jon captured all our hearts with his sincerity, honesty, wit, and great sense of adventure. He was an extremely talented and accomplished hair stylist, sculptor and painter.
Jon was born on May 1, 1940, in San Diego, California, son of the late Joseph Arthur Gariepy and Jean Taylor Gariepy and brother of Kathleen Johnson of Vallejo CA and of the late David Gariepy of Oregon. Jon was a Californian all his life, growing up in North Long Beach, later moving to Lake Tahoe, and finally settling in Petaluma in 1976. He earned his AA from Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo and his BA in Art from Sonoma State University.
Jon was such a talented hair stylist that some of his clientele would travel three hours for an appointment with him in Petaluma and many were devoted clients for 40 years.
As an accomplished sculptor and painter Jon's works were exhibited and featured in galleries throughout Sonoma County and the Bay Area, up and down the California coast and across the country. Jon's clay sculptures of crumbling ships and cars earned him praise as well as awards. All beautifully falling apart, they reflect his fondest childhood memories of exploring harbors and old boatyards and later participating in the burgeoning car culture of Southern California in the '50s.
His love of being out in nature led to an active life of skiing, surfing, sailing, kayaking, cycling, hiking and camping, which all gave him great pleasure. Just last year he and his wife Carolyn enjoyed a 6-week sojourn to the Anza Borrego desert and a 7000-mile grand tour of the Western states in their Rialta RV they called "Bella".
Jon's wife Carolyn Clover and their daughter Briana DeGuara ask that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Petaluma Arts Center, the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) or Hospice by the Bay. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.
Jon loved and cherished his family, including his daughter Beth Gariepy Zumwalt of Waukee IA; two grandchildren, Zackery and Emma DeGuara of Petaluma; sister-in-law Janet Clover of Petaluma; cousins Ron Collins of Vista CA, Joyce Anderson of Borrego Springs CA and Janet Poore of San Clemente CA and his many nieces and nephews.