on the Facebook page of Oasis-Celebrate the Journey and on YouTube at https://celebratethejourney.org/livestream.

Burial will take place privately by the family.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Oasis Church, 176 Sandbank Road, Cheshire on Saturday, December 28, 2024. The church will open at 10:00 A.M. to pay respects to the family, with the service beginning at 11:00 A.M. The Service will be streamed live at 11:00 A.M.

He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, and extended family that will miss him dearly. Jonathan was preceded in death by his mother, Linda (DiMauro) Renker.

His father and stepmother, Howard (Gayle Gaudreau) Renker of Glastonbury, brothers, Joel (Cara) Renker and Joshua (Elizabeth) Renker of Cheshire, and his sister Sarah Renker of Cheshire.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Smilow Cancer Institute at Yale New Haven Hospital and the staff at Complete Care in Meriden for their loving and attentive care for him.

Jonathan is survived by his children, Sascha, Maya, and Luca of Denver, Colorado.

Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated in late 2023, leading to his death. Throughout his journey, he faced his illness and life with unwavering faith, dignity, courage, and humor. He beat many of the odds.

Sascha, Maya, and Luca were truly the lights of his life. He took immense pride in the intelligent, kind, and capable young women they have become, often sharing photos and stories about them. His family sees Jonathan reflected in each of them.

His family surrounded him with help and was fortunate to have him nearby to spend time with him, but it pained him to be away from his children on the West Coast. Although he had many accomplishments, nothing filled him with love and admiration more than his daughters.

Despite undergoing three brain surgeries in California, radiation, chemotherapy, and various treatments, he persevered and continued to work, but as his health deteriorated, he eventually returned to Connecticut in 2021 and had a fourth brain surgery at Yale that year.

Memories of creating and playing music with his siblings, Joel, Joshua, and Sarah, and special friends at local venues will be held dear. He had a strong musical sense and ear for sound.

In 2007, Jonathan was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Medical people who treated him loved him for this.
As a musician, Jonathan was talented. He played the bass guitar and served the worship teams at several churches, recorded his own music, and played in various collaborations.

Humor played a big part in his life. After taking a standup comedy course, he did a short presentation at the Comedy Club in L.A. He loved to laugh and would share quips, quotes, and insightful jokes with everyone. This put smiles on people’s faces and encouraged them.

He was an incredible artist handwrote the books of the New Testament, creating gorgeous scrolls. Jonathan’s gift for storytelling was brought to life with his visual notes, capturing lessons, sermons, and lectures in art, often drawn in real-time and was always a sight to behold.

During his career, he was known for his intelligence, hard work, integrity, friendliness, and helping others.

Jonathan was a man of faith and a student of the bible. He made many lasting relationships in his service with the churches he attended.

After this he returned to Orange County, California and was employed by several well-known advertising agencies in various management roles. Much of the focus was on automobiles such as Hyundai, Toyota, Mazda Jaguar, and Land Rover, as well as other accounts.

He attended Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California, earning degrees, a Bachelor of Business Administration and later in life a Master of Christian Theology. He spent a year in Japan as a resource English teacher in a local school district.

Jonathan was born on May 12, 1973, in New Haven, Connecticut, and spent his childhood in Naugatuck and Cheshire, graduating from Cheshire High School in 1991.