Jonathan Kevin Wong, born August 7, 1985 in Oshawa General Hospital. Died October 15, 2021 at Princess Margaret Hospital after a battle with leukemia.

More often called Jon or Jonny by family and friends, Jon chose music before science when he started his further education and Queen’s University’s loss was Humber College’s gain. In 2011, Jon took his sax to Humber College’s Jazz Performance program.

It was at Humber where he met his bandmates-to-be; Emily Burgess, Jesse Whiteley, Michael Archer and Lindsay Beaver. They formed the 24th Street Wailers and set out on a musical career that took them touring to festivals and clubs across Canada and the US. They did well – the Toronto Blues Society acclaimed The Wailers as their New Artists of the Year in 2012. Over the next six years the band recorded five CDs and performed on many stages, large and small in Canada and the US, winning fans and making friends. Jon would delight the crowd by wandering off stage with his horn and wading into the audience or climbing on the speaker stacks and giving it all he got.

Jon had been recognized as the Blues Society Horn Player of the year and won similar awards again in 2014, 2015 and 2017. The Wailer’s album “Wicked” recorded in Austin, Texas in 2015 was nominated for a Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year.

After years of music, touring and teaching Jon decided to add a new string to his bow with a career in computer coding and web development.

He enrolled for a Hacker U boot camp and after graduating, Jon was swiftly recruited by Nicholas Lui for his company Apply Digital. Jon was one of the new hires in Toronto and within two years, Jon had worked his way up to the position of Senior Developer. Jon very much enjoyed his new career making new friends, and he was thriving until he became ill in May this year.

Jon leaves behind his loving mother and father, Mary and Bing Wong. Also his grandmothers Sheut-Fong Wong and Yem-Hong Dong, his uncles and aunts – Harold Dong and Fay Chan, Paul and Linda Wong, Aunt Margaret; Freda Dong and Michael Collins; Kim and Susan Woo; Wayne and Jean Wong; and first cousins Jillian and Michelle Dong, Brendan and Jerome Woo; and Matthew and Michael Wong.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada in memory of Jonathan Wong.