Jesse Rafael Aratow

Jesse Rafael Aratow died suddenly at age 48 of a heart attack on Friday, October 29 in his home. Jesse was born December 4th, 1972 in London, England. Jesse's mother fondly recalls that at a hotel in London, Jesse spent the first two weeks of his life in a cardboard box labeled "Tested for Quality." Jesse grew up in Oakland/Berkeley, California with some years in Los Angeles and a number of international trips, including fulfilling his mother's wish that he should stand on the walls of Troy before he was 18. He graduated from Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco in 1990 and went on to Cornell University, where he graduated in 1994 with honors as a dual major in history and Russian. After Cornell, Jesse lived and studied in Russia for several months. He circumnavigated the globe, then landed in Telluride, Colorado. It was there, that following minor jobs as a cook and a bouncer at a local club, Jesse chanced into a career in what he had always truly loved - music. The club in Telluride was also where he first met the love of his life, musician Liza Oxnard, though it was years later, after they had both settled separately in Boulder, Colorado, that on a trip back to Telluride, when they were both in town for a show, they had their first date. Jesse and Liza moved in together in Boulder and wed in Telluride in 2003. By then Jesse was partner in a highly successful music management and booking agency, Madison House, where he continued for more than twenty years until his untimely death. He worked with such bands as The String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, JJ Grey & Mofro, Keller Williams, Lotus, and many more. Jesse was known for his larger-than-life presence, his authenticity, his excellent taste and style, his incredible humor, and most of all his profound integrity. Avid snowboarder, outdoorsman, passionate friend, cherishing husband and playful father, Jesse was universally respected. He lived up to the ethos with which he began, "Tested for Quality." Jesse is survived by his adoring wife, Liza; his beloved daughters Kalea and Lily - aged 15 and seven respectively; his mother Susanna Hoffman; and his younger sister Gabriella Aratow, as well as a sprawling group of other relatives and in-laws who will all miss him very much. He is preceded in death by his father Paul Aratow. Jesse has left behind a huge hole in the lives of all who loved him. His impact and presence will continue to live on as a source of inspiration for many. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be given in Jesse's name to Conscious Alliance, www.consciousalliance.org, Sweet Relief https://www.sweetrelief.org/, or Backline www.backline.care.