Jonathan Brown
- bukladmemorial
- May 5
- 2 min read
Updated: May 6
October 8, 1980 - April 28, 2025
Jonathan Lewis Brown, born October 8, 1980, at St Elizabeth Hospital, Elizabeth NJ, passed away at the age of 44 on April 28, 2025 in Edison NJ. He was the beloved son of Thomas L. Brown and Natalie Harper, and was raised in Linden and East Orange, NJ, alongside his devoted sister Brandis.
Diagnosed with Type I Juvenile Diabetes at just 10 months old, Jonathan spent much of his childhood in and out of hospitals. Raised by his mother, who worked at General Motors in Linden, he developed resilience early on. At age 9, he moved to East Orange with his father and his loving siblings Cynthia S. Brown & Thomas Brown II, where he found a new path through sports, playing football with the East Orange Falcons and winning the Pop Warner Super Bowl in 1992.
Jonathan attended John L. Costley Sr. Middle School and later Cherry Hill West High School in South Jersey, where he discovered a passion for boxing and trained in exchange for cleaning the gym. In 1998, he enrolled at Robert Land Academy in Ontario, Canada, excelling in rugby and wrestling while embracing values of structure, honor, and loyalty.
After returning home due to health issues, he worked his way up to assistant manager at Foot Locker. Jonathan reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Jennifer Harrison, and taking them in as his own they raised her daughters, Ayanna and Kyla Rich, before welcoming their son, Justin, on May 9, 2005 --- a moment he cherished as the proudest of his life.
A gifted conversationalist and natural people person, Jonathan thrived as a salesman at LA Fitness. In 2008, he faced incarceration but used that time to pursue his GED and vocational education in Culinary Arts, discovering a new passion for cooking. Upon his release, he continued to grow as a father, never missing a moment to support Justin’s athletic pursuits.
In recent years, he worked alongside his cousin in landscaping and eventually settled in a nursing facility in Edison, NJ. Jonathan embraced life with practical optimism, generosity, and a joy that touched everyone around him. He loved family vacations to Orlando and the Poconos, basking in the sun, and cheering on his favorite team—the Philadelphia Eagles. One of his most joyful moments came when he received a signed sweatshirt from Jahan Dotson following their Super Bowl win.
Jonathan will be remembered for his strength, his unwavering love for family, and his ability to lift others with his warmth, humor, and loyalty. He leaves behind a legacy of perseverance, heart, and unforgettable memories.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 8, 2025 from12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Buklad-Merlino Memorial Home, 2141 South Broad Street, Hamilton, NJ 08610.
Funeral services will begin at 2:00 p.m.
Cremation and burial will be private and at the convenience of the family.
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To My Little Brother John..
Today you go onto your final resting place, I know you’re at peace as this life dealt you a unfair hand that wasn’t deserved. Starting from birth with a mis diagnosis that could’ve proved fatal , this began your journey in strength and resilience. Constant ICUhospitalizations , daily insulin injections, wearing corrective casts on your lil legs for about a year, food restrictions, just to name a few, this all
before the age of 7.
This was one of the reasons our mother went to Nursing School in hopes of giving you the best care , a career she enjoyed for 35 plus years.
Despite the challenges even as kid you were funny, personable ,…
I meet him when we were away at “school”in a place where all hope is lost,heartache,dispair,nd being alone is normalcy.. I watched him combat these things daily, with ease nd most times a smile on his face … nd have enuff left in the tank to lighten up the days for people he was around or those who wanted to be around him…he was (nd I’m sorry for this)FUCKN FEARLESS!!!
He stood up for the voiceless when he had no stake or bone in the fight.. he knew what was right nd was on the front lines standing on it no matters what!!
When he knew things was going wrong or bad he NEVER REALLY COMPLAINED no matter how bad…