Honoring Jon Cyrwus: Memorial Scholarship Fund

Jon's obituary can be found here.

Our beloved Johnathan (better known as Jon, JonJon, etc.) passed away on June 2nd, 2025 at 26 years old after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in May 2024.

Even after receiving a devastating terminal diagnosis at the age of 25, Jon never concerned himself much with worries about dying or leaving behind a legacy - he was too busy living, and he did that incredibly well. When we asked him if he had any unfulfilled "bucket list" items upon diagnosis, he said no. He wanted only two things out of the life he had left: 1) to spend as much time as possible with the people he loved most and 2) to continue his career as an Instrumentation & Controls Technician, a field he was deeply passionate about and talented in, for as long as possible. After going through an initial round of chemoradiation treatment throughout the summer of 2024, Jon did go back to work five months after his diagnosis, and continued to work as long as he physically could (until March of this year), even while actively receiving further chemotherapy. This is a testament both to his bravery and inimitable work ethic, but also to how much joy and passion he felt for his career. Jon's coworkers have described him as "one of the smartest people," who "understood everything that was put in front of him, or he would be determined to figure it out," and an "amazing man" who was happy to help everyone understand difficult technical concepts and eager to take on challenging jobs. His former professor told me that he still uses Jon's graduation project to illustrate concepts in the curriculum. The first time I met any of his coworkers, the first thing they said to me was "your boyfriend is a genius" (which I already knew).

Those who knew Jon can also attest that teaching and offering mentorship/career guidance were effusive passions for him. After attending massage therapy school and becoming a well-reputed LMT, he went back to the program he graduated from and taught anatomy. Later, he tutored fellow students while completing his Electrical Power Technology degree at Palm Beach State College, from which he graduated in 2023 (with a 4.0 GPA and an Academic Excellence award, of course). When he started his post-grad job at a nuclear power plant in Maryland, he immediately took on the de facto role of helping support some of his new coworkers through their extensive training, as he was one of the few new hires who came into the role with a degree/significant work experience in instrumentation.

One of my favorite things about Jon is that he had the work ethic and discipline to thrive in anything he committed to - he initially chose his degree program based solely on practical things like earning prospects and job stability, but worked so hard at it and dedicated himself so much that he fell in love with it anyway. He was kind of just like that with everything he cared about - committed, steadfast, passionate.

Before he knew his time would be so limited, he hoped to go back to school for further education in electrical engineering, and aspired to one day become a professor in his field. It breaks our hearts to lose him now, but also to think about the future he'll never have, the dreams he'll never get to realize. Even though he was far more focused on his life than the idea of a legacy, those of us who love him know that he created an indelible mark on the world that deserves to be remembered and honored. In his memory, we hope and plan to establish an ongoing scholarship in his name at his alma mater, Palm Beach State College, that supports students pursuing a career in the field he loved so dearly. Any contribution you can make towards helping us make this goal a reality would be graciously received and deeply appreciated.

With gratitude,

The Cyrwus Family