Jon-David DeStefano of Boxborough, died suddenly, January 16th at the young age of 44. Jon was the beloved son of Daniel and Susan (DeFalco) DeStefano; devoted brother of Danielle DeStefano and her partner David Dupuis of Leominster; and loving uncle of Michael DeStefano and his wife Becca of Boxborough and their son Parker Daniel DeStefano. Jon was the cherished nephew of Joan DeFalco Shields and her husband Gerald of Medford, Ellie DeFalco of Medford, and Denise DeFalco of Lawrence; he was the dear cousin of Jennifer (Niffer) Shields of Medford; Joseph Shields and his partner Seth Bach of Methuen; Chris Shields and his wife Kelly of Medford; Erica Potenza and Nicholas Potenza, both of Lawrence, MA. He also leaves behind many other loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and California; his girlfriend, Lindsey Goodwin of Concord; and his brother, Eric Cordes, his wife Robyn, and their daughter Megan of Dublin, PA.
Jon was a graduate of Acton-Boxboro High School and Berklee College of Music where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Production and Engineering. After college graduation, Jon moved to Santa Monica, California, where he lived for sixteen years, working as a sound design engineer, composer, and sound editor for several feature films. But his first love always was composing music and playing guitar. Jon returned home to New England in early 2017, happy to be close to his family and a more vibrant music scene. Fellow musicians considered him an amazing and unbelievable musician. He was a fan of a variety of music but most especially the music of the band Phish.
Above all, Jon was a great person. Always smiling, he was gentle, kind, and considerate to everyone. One of the benefits of living at home for Jon was that he got time to develop a special bond with his great-nephew Parker who adored his Uncle Jon. The feeling was mutual. They spent hours together listening to music, playing with Jon’s guitars, drawing treasure maps, and looking for treasure all over imaginary landscapes. They were best pals.
As a little boy Jon once wrote that he “ liked hockey, basketball, football, cherries, and ravioli” and “disliked quiche, zucchini, and Marshall stores.” He got over his aversion for Marshalls and never lost his love for ravioli or his Aunty Joanie’s meatballs.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to visit with the family at Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main St., MEDFORD, Monday, January 21st from 4-8 PM and Tuesday, January 22nd, at 9 AM followed by a Funeral Mass celebrated in St. Francis of Assisi Church, 441 Fellsway West, Medford,
In lieu of flowers, please honor Jon-David's memory by making a memorial contribution to the American Heart Assoc., PO Box 417005, Boston, MA, 02241, or to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Division of Development/Jimmy Fund, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168 or to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 220 N. Main Street, Natick, MA 01760.