David Jaros

JAROS, David Crandall David ("Dave") Crandall Jaros passed away on Thursday, May 31, 2018 at the age of 49 in Sydney, Australia after a valiant yet tragically short battle with gastric cancer. As a dear friend described him, Dave was truly all of the best things that someone could be, but the two roles that mattered to him most were those of adoring husband and partner to wife Kristen, and doting and fiercely proud father to his three children, Georgia, Bennett, and Rex. Dave was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on December 8, 1968. Before he was three years old, Dave's family moved across the globe to the island of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, where his father was a contractor for the Department of Defense. Dave graduated from Kwajalein High School in 1987 and set his sights on attending a top university, gaining admission to the University of California at Berkeley. At Cal, Dave became an active member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and a devoted fan of the Golden Bears sports teams, while still managing to earn a degree in history in 1991. His years at Cal set him on a course that would lead to a rewarding professional career and, equally importantly, connected him to many of his closest friends. After graduation from Cal, Dave worked as a management consultant in Boston before attending The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his MBA in 1997 and first met his wife Kristen. After business school, he returned to management consulting in New York, before transitioning to senior marketing roles for a variety of start-up and high-growth software companies in Dallas, San Diego, and Austin. Although Dave and Kristen were acquainted at Wharton, it wasn't until 2003 that they were reconnected through mutual friends and began dating long distance between Texas and California. They fell in love, having found in one another a similar sense of humor and inner kindheartedness, like values and views of the world, shared devotion to family and friends, and the same hopes and dreams for the future. Dave and Kristen were married on April 16, 2005 in Rancho Santa Fe, north of San Diego, and soon after moved to Austin. After having lived in several different cities, Dave finally felt at home in Austin, spending 11 wonderful years growing a family with Kristen and genuinely making a difference in the lives of the many people whom he met. In December 2016, Dave, Kristen, and the kids left the comfort of their Austin home to pursue a long-time dream to take the family overseas as Dave became chief marketing officer of Siteminder, Inc., based in Sydney. They settled in Manly, a beachside suburb north of Sydney, and began making the most of their new home, enjoying numerous outings in and around Sydney and taking memorable family vacations to the Outback, the Great Barrier Reef, and beautiful beaches up and down the coast of Australia within their first year. While Dave's life was short, his presence was big. He was driven to succeed, but he didn't take himself too seriously. He was finely attuned to details but didn't worry about trivial things. He took a chance on people - especially those who worked with him, because others had taken a chance on him throughout his lifetime. He was fun, funny, and always up for anything. He had no pretense or agenda; he was real with a quiet strength. People were drawn to him because he was easy to be with; he would find common ground, build others up and make them feel special, never asking for any spotlight in return. He was a true friend and partner. Dave leaves behind a legacy of family and friends who adored him. He is survived by his wife, Kristen Wilcox Jaros, and their children Georgia, Bennett, and Rex; his father Bill Jaros of Newburyport, Massachusetts; brother Pete Jaros, wife Natalie, and children Adelaide and Oakleigh of Brooklyn, New York; and sister Jen Kelley, husband Steve, and children Lana, Leo, and Paige of Acton, Massachusetts. He is preceded in death by his mother, Barbara Crandall Tancayo. To honor Dave's commitment to public education and the numerous ways in which his own opportunity to attend Cal influenced his life, the family has established the David Jaros Memorial Scholarship https://give.berkeley.edu/egiving/index.cfm?fund=FW8627000 with the hope that others might similarly benefit from attending this institution, while also becoming lifelong supporters of the Golden Bears. Kristen and her children wish to thank the many friends and family members in the U.S. and in Australia who have generously given their love and support during these recent challenging months. They will be forever grateful.