A Modern-Day Explorer – The Obituary

Jon (Jonco), 73, died December 28, 2021.

He was the son of the late Benjamin and Ruth. He was preceded in death by his nieces; Melissa and Renee, and his grandbaby Samantha. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Pat, son Dave (Staci), daughter Kris (Seth), brother Paul (Janis) sister-in-law Gail (Mike), as well as his grandchildren; Renly (Melanie), Seth (Sarah), Vince (Mady), and Logan (Joe). He was also loved by many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, friends, and more.

Jon and wife, Pat, owned a series of small grocery stores in St. Louis City for 40 years. He always had a passion for computers and any sort of tech, and upgrading to the latest and greatest. He was a people person and loved communicating, from starting his own newspaper as a child to building web-sites, to writing blogs that are viewed worldwide. He was a loyal, long-time member of the Brotherhood of Gluttons and loved getting together with his Glutton friends. He was a father figure and mentor to many – always willing to lend an ear and give the most open-minded advice he could, even if it wasn’t what you wanted or expected. He loved his dog, Buster. He especially loved getting together with family and playing games.

He and Pat visited 48 states together, most notably an Alaska cruise for their 50th anniversary. He loved all things to do with St. Louis, and they had many dates there. He was a modern-day explorer – searching and scouring the web for entertaining bits and pieces to share with his thousands of blog followers. He celebrated talent in all forms. He was extremely creative, smart, witty, and loved being behind a camera or microphone. He was a story teller, a eulogy giver, a trivia master, a foster parent, a pro shopper, a videographer, a movie lover and movie maker, a magic enthusiast, an Elvis fan, a dinner group member, a photo-bomber, a drone pilot, an athletic supporter, a teacher, a learner, an inventor, a thinker and a consumer of all parts of life. He loved adventure; flying, skydiving, hot air balloon riding, scuba diving, motorcycling, and driving his Tesla. Above all, he was a humorist – he looked for the funny in everyday life.

His list of life advice for others (in his own words): “Find things to laugh about. Spend time with family and friends. Don’t let someone ruin your day. Treat people the way you want to be treated. How you react to things that happen in life is much more important than the things that happen. Practice random acts of kindness. Pay for someone’s meal at a restaurant drive-thru. Remember that you’re not always right and they’re not always wrong; people say things from their own perspective.”

Jon supported many causes and especially those causes that were important to his friends and family, so in that regard – any donations should be directed to your local charity of choice.

35 thoughts on “A Modern-Day Explorer – The Obituary”

  3. Jeez, that hurts. Same boomer generation. Been enjoying Jonco’s blogs forever. There is a really big hole there now, that can never be filled. I never knew him personally, but I so enjoyed his company over his blogs.
    Ah fukkit!
    sorry for your loss

  6. Athletic supporter? Sounds like something he would write himself.
    Sorely missed as nice people are hard to find, if you can’t find one, be one.

  9. My sincere condolences to Pat and her entire family. I never had the pleasure of meeting this great funny man, but through Pat I learned all about him and the love he had for his family and for life. May you find peace and comfort in the coming days.

  12. Met him at the Glutton Club as a guest and enjoyed “Bits and Pieces” for at least 15 years, if not more. Enjoyed it so much that I attended the B & P Party at the Club even though I knew no one. Your father was a treasure, a renaissance man. I will miss him.

  13. He was a wonderful man.

    Kris or Dave: I am so sorry for the loss of your daughter, Samantha. What a tragedy.

    Again, Pat, Kris, and Dave: my condolences. I am very sorry for your loss and he will be missed not just by you, but everyone who knew him or visited his web pages.

  15. RIP Jonco. Thank you for many years of scouring, laughter, and food for thought. And thank you for bringing together the extended B&P family.
    You are, and will always be, greatly missed.

  16. Really wonderful words. Please, Jonco, tell me your new address asap, need to send you some pics, gifs and mp4 files I have just seen….

  17. Samantha was my daughter, stillborn 25 years ago. Dad was able to come and hold her. Interesting note; Dad died on the exact same day. Fate??

  18. I popped onto B&P today for my daily uplift — I wasn’t expecting this. Although I never met Jonco in person, I truly feel like I’ve lost a friend. I’ve been part of this little community for many years now and have made some interesting long-distance friends, had some laughs and participated in some deep discussions. You will be sorely missed, my friend! Thank you for all of the humorous and thought-provoking posts. The world is little less decent without you!

  19. So sorry for your loss! I have followed B&P since very early on, probably early 2000’s. I remember Jon’s love for his dogs, especially Trixie and Gus. I remember his posts about them, and the sadness of their loss. I had always wanted to go to one of the barbecues/ get-togethers of B&P fans, but circumstances never allowed that. He leaves a great void in our hearts, but he also leaves a great legacy!

  22. I can’t remember how long I’ve been coming to this website, but it’s been years. That’s a very nice tribute, and you have my condolences.

  24. Bits and Pieces has been a daily read for me to get a good laugh and a smile. Very sad to see such a fine man pass.

  25. I’m so sorry to hear this. I love Bits and Pieces and wait for days before reading it so I can have a good binge after a long day. Jon’s taste in humour and interesting tidbits has been a wonderful help to this Brit living in Japan.

  26. Oh, no! My day didn’t start until I opened up my computer and went to his page. Although I never met him, it’s been an honor to experience his humor on a daily basis. My favorite has to be the “selfie” photo with the old phone. RIP good man, you will be missed.

  27. Visiting B&P each day with a cup of coffee in hand was a favourite part of each day. I will miss Jonco and his site.
    All the best,
    Nigel from New Zealand

  28. I’m still stunned by this. When it’s so sudden, it’s hard to wrap your head around it. I was Jon and Pats long-time babysitter beginning in 1972. David was 4 and Kris was 8 months old. They weren’t just my employers, they shared their life with me, asking me to hang around to play pass the trash, pie face and many other board games. They took me to see Elvis!!! Not many people can say they’ve seen Elvi, but I can because of Jon and Pat’s generosity.
    Jon was a movie NUT!! He not only saw every movie that came out, he had to see it first, lots of sneak peeks. They took me to see Jaws when it came out and I still Won’t swim in the ocean. Pat, you’re a strong woman and you will make it it through this! I love you so much! David and Kris, no one can replace your dad, he was one in a million. Love you kids, Mary

  30. I am truly saddened to read of this terrible loss. This was one of the first sites i ever visited through a random google search around 2003 and i’ve always had Jonco’s blog on favourite, perusing any time i needed a lift, or just to see what amazing things he’d discovered. My heart goes out to friends and family of the most dedicated and ingenious man who never failed to raise spirits. One in a million is a title awarded often, but never as fitting as to this man. Rest easy friend, from a once young man in Scotland to whom you’ve given two decades of joy.

  32. I’ve delayed in posting a comment as it’s not my typical. However, your loss has sadden my heart more than I can ever adequately communicate. Jon always made my days better. I always enjoyed any opportunity to click on my top/favorite link, bitsandpieces.us I stumbled upon his blog so many years ago at a time in my life where I needed a distraction. He was there for me, even though we never met. He helped me through some difficult times and I never reached out to let him know his passion, and almost obsession LOL, pushed me through those difficult days with positive and humorous passages, links and pictures. I regret not reaching out but do hope you will read this and appreciate his help to people you’ll never know, like myself. I feel like an important chapter of my life has closed with his loss and I’m certain yours has too. I hope this message finds the family member/s who need to see it and you know how much we (B&P members) enjoyed his humor, wit and positive view of the world. He will most certainly be missed by more people than you’ll ever know or could imagine!

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