In Loving Memory of Jason Silva

On October 9th, our dear friend, brother, and uncle, Jason Silva, passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly.

Jason had finally landed his dream job at NASA earlier in the year, and with this job stability, he and his wife Susan had just purchased their forever home, a beautiful historic home from the 1920s, in Jason's hometown of Catonsville, moving back after years out of state to be close to his brother and sister and their children, his nephews and newborn niece. His new house is just two blocks away from his brother Eric, and his nephew Leif was so excited to be close enough to walk down for Sunday game nights playing chess with Uncle Jason. "Uncle Jason" was the most loving and supportive uncle any of us could ever ask for. Jason was really excited to be returning to Catonsville after all these years away and restoring this lovely historic home in our community. He had just begun moving furniture into the new home on the day of his passing.

Jason's family has begun this GoFundMe in order to provide his wife Susan with the support she needs during this extremely difficult time of unexpected emergency medical costs, a new mortgage, and costs associated with the repairs needed for their historic home. We know Susan would never be so bold as to request this, yet we, her in-laws, feel moved to organize and provide this support, as we know Jason would have done the same for any of us.

If you feel so moved to contribute any amount, we know Susan will be exceptionally grateful.

Below is Jason's obituary:

Jason Christopher Silva, 43, of Catonsville, MD passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, October 9, 2021.

Jason was born in Catonsville on March 11, 1978. He graduated from Catonsville High School and studied physics and mathematics at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the University of Maryland, College Park. Jason also studied photography at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. Jason later graduated with an Aquaculture Technology Certificate from Carteret Community College in Morehead City, NC. Jason was married to Susan Matthews on August 23, 2014; they were married for seven years.

Jason worked as an Engineering Technician for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a little over eleven months. He also worked and volunteered for many years at The Maryland Science Center. Jason gained valuable diamond turning experience from his position as a Process Engineer at ISP Optics Corporation, Irvington, NY. He later worked as a Diamond Turning Technician at the Reynard Corporation in San Clemente, CA. Jason was a great problem solver who was able to develop innovative solutions to technological challenges.

Jason enjoyed sharing his passion for astronomy with others and manning the telescope at The Maryland Science Center. He was an avid chess player and loved spending time with his family and friends. He loved teaching his nephew’s chess and spending time with his young niece. He had a passion for learning, and enjoyed reading, playing video games, watching movies with friends, hiking, and playing with his pet dogs and cats. Jason also enjoyed time on the water with his wife whale watching in California. He also loved spending time in the Adirondacks with his wife and her parents at their family cabin by the lake. One of Jason’s favorite spots was a park near Cub Hill, MD, where he would go for walks with his dad and his family when he was growing up. He also loved visiting Cape May, NJ which was his family’s vacation spot when he was a child.

Jason is survived by his wife, Susan Matthews; his mother, Dorothy Silva; his brother, Eric Silva (sister-in-law, Tracy Soltesz); his sister, Eve Hehn (brother-in-law, Brian Hehn); his nephew’s, Leif Silva, Aras Soltesz, and Jakob Hehn; his niece, Clara Hehn; and many other family members and friends. Jason was preceded in death by his father, Robert Silva.

Family and friends celebrated the life of Jason Silva with a memorial ceremony on Sunday, November 21, 2021 at The Maryland Science Center.