Jonathan E. Popelar

Jonathan E. Popelar, 30, passed away September 14, 2022. Born in Anaheim, California on May 27, 1992 son to Stanley and Barbara (Lewis) Popelar. Jon was homeschooled for most of his education and attended Rock Valley College where he majored in mass communication. Jon worked in many interesting roles during his career, including as an Air Marshal with UPS. Most notably, at the age of 22, Jon and his brother created a business, Silk Alpaca Corporation, which ran for a number of years. He was creative, scientific, and had a brilliant mind. Whenever he decided to learn something, he dedicated himself to it and he was an early adopter of new technology. He loved coming up with different ideas and testing their theories. He could often be found tinkering, taking things apart to modify, and even built quite a few electronics from scratch; one of his most proud achievements was a tiny home in the works and different gaming stands and consoles. He enjoyed building PC’s and had a passion for online video gaming where he made some beloved friends. Fond memories the family has with Jon include going camping and canoeing in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Yellowstone, and California. Of these many trips Jon’s favorite was the Boundary Waters.

Jon will be missed by those who loved him most, his parents Stanley and Barbara; his siblings Rob (Sarah Ganger) Purbeck, Stephen (Supna Saxena) Popelar, Abby (Tyler) Ethridge and Ben Popelar; his nephew Elliott and niece Emilia; his fourteen aunts, uncles and numerous cousins; his grandma Thelma St. Clair and his furry companion, Maddie his cat. He is predeceased by his grandparents Rollin (Dorothy) Popelar and Jack Lewis; his best bud, Seth the cat.

A memorial service will take place Friday, September 23, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, 1860 S. Mulford Road, Rockford, Illinois 61108. A time for fellowship will take place after the service at the family’s home. To send online condolences or share memories, please visit www.fitzgeraldfh.com