Jon Richard Pariser

It is with utmost sadness that we announce the passing of Jon Richard Pariser, who died on May 27, 2026, aged 78, after a long, brave battle with cancer and the treatment side effects.

Jon was born in Brooklyn, New York to Julius and Lillian Pariser as their last child. His two older brothers Howard and Robert are deceased, sister Judy lives in North Carolina. She and Jon have always shared a special loving bond.

Jon was the third generation of Jewish immigrants who came to America for a better life. His beloved grandmother instilled in him interest in Russian. Jon graduated from Abraham Lincoln HS in NY in 1965, received his BA degree from NYU in 1970 and moved to California. There he pursued his love for languages at UCLA and received the PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures in 1982.

Jon lived a rich life marked by two professional careers, a happy marriage, and years of being a doting father and a “fun” grandfather. Daughter Julia, born 1984, was the center of his life and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, and later on for her two boys, Brayden (12 1/2) and Cameron (11). His first career was in Academia and lasted for over 20 years, of which the last 13 he taught Russian language and literature at UCSC. He loved teaching and was very good at it. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian program at UCSC was closed and Jon retrained as a financial advisor, eventually opening his independent business in 1999. He retired from this profession in 2015.

He and his wife Hana were married for over 54 years. They devoted themselves to raising Julia with love, providing the best available education and supporting her interests in tennis, swimming and especially in horseback riding. As a family they enjoyed camping, hiking, bicycling, playing tennis, skiing, socializing, and traveling. Jon and Hana visited every continent at least once. Jon also spent considerable time motorcycling with friends. During the last 8 years they both filled their days with playing golf locally and abroad as part of their trips. Jon also proudly worked part-time at the Monterey Pines Golf Course.

In 1968 Jon visited Hana‘s native Czechoslovakia, called The Czech Republic as of 1991, and developed a special love for the country. He learned the Czech language to near native level and knew more about its history, politics and culture than an average citizen. He earned a special Czech residence status and Hana and he spent several months of each year primarily in their beloved Prague. Jon made several extraordinary lifelong friendships there.

Known for his sense of humor, telling jokes at any occasion, and for any audience, Jon was the heart of every party by providing laughter, playing the guitar or singing, both in English or Czech. At home, he would play the piano just like his mother and sister did during his childhood.

Jon will also be remembered for his compassion for others. Genuinely interested in other people’s lives, he would inquire about their background, culture or language if they had other than English. Endowed with a phenomenal memory, he would quickly learn and use the information, including foreign language phrases, in the future chats with his friends.

He was always ready to help others either individually or by volunteering with local organizations, such as Kiwanis, Meals on wheels or also at Golf events. Like his father, he was a Mason. During the 28 years of service in local lodges, he held several leadership positions, including that of the Worshipful Master on seven occasions, five times in Carmel Lodge, and two times in Salinas Lodge. His work was recognized through the Hiram award.

Jon is survived by his wife Hana, his daughter Julia Smith and her husband Zac Smith, grandsons Brayden and Cameron, by his son Jesse Waters, by his sister Judy Gurlitz, by nieces Marilyn and Alexandria, nephew Mathew and their families, by Hana‘s brother and his family, and by many friends in the US and in Czechia.

A Celebration of Life will be held on July 18th from 10 AM to 2 PM at Center for Spiritual Awakening in Pacific Grove, where family and friends will gather to share memories of a life well lived.

The event will be streamlined and a video will be made available on YouTube.

Contributions in Jon’s memory may be made to Pacific Cancer Care or any other cancer care or research facility chosen by the donor.

Pacific Cancer Center 5 Harris Court, Building T Monterey, CA 93940. Telephone: 831-375-4105