Jonathan David (Jon) Thiesse, 64, of Canton, Conn., passed away on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at home surrounded by his family after a courageous fight with cancer.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Dec. 8, 2024, from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Lake Crystal American Legion Ballroom located at 600 West Burt Street in Lake Crystal. A short memorial service will be held at 12:30 p.m., with lunch and sharing memories to follow.

Jon was born on March 16, 1960, in Fairmont to Vernon and Lois (Malo) Thiesse. After spending his early years in Fairmont, the family relocated to Starbuck, where Jon attended all 13 years of school and graduated from high school as an honor student in 1978. He grew up on the family farm, participating in 4-H and showing beef cattle at the County Fair. Jon participated in many school activities at Starbuck High School, including serving as Senior Class President, being a member of the National Honor Society and being a star athlete in basketball. Following high school, he attended North Dakota State University, earning a bachelor degree in Civil Engineering. After college, Jon was employed for several years at Summit Engineering in Reno, Nev., before relocating to Connecticut, where he spent the remainder of his engineering career in the City of New Britain, and later as the Town Engineer for the city of Bloomfield until his retirement in 2024.

Jon married Patrice Murphy (Nelson) in 1983 and they were blessed with a daughter, Lanaya. Jon was always a very proud and devoted father and was a constant presence in Lanaya’s life. Jon married Melissa Blais on Sept. 7, 1996. The couple enjoyed playing volleyball together, hiking with friends, spending time in their gardens, raising goats and traveling with friends and family during their 28 years of marriage. Jon also enjoyed nature and the outdoors, playing golf and was a sports enthusiast, especially for his favorite sport of hockey. In his later years, Jon made a lasting impact on his hometown of Canton, using his engineering and municipal government skills as the chairman of the community’s Planning and Zoning Commission for 11 years. Under Jon’s leadership, the town received multiple honors, including the Connecticut Main Street Award of Excellence in 2019.

In addition to his wife, Melissa of Canton, Conn., and daughter, Lanaya Nelson of Norwalk, Conn., Jon is survived by his mother, Lois Thiesse of St. Peter; brothers, Kent Thiesse (Liz) of Lake Crysta and Clint Thiesse (Dana) of Reno, Nev.; sister, Jennifer Thiesse of St. Peter; and his twin brother, Jeff Thiesse of Fountain Hills, Ariz. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Deborah Thomas (Leonard) of Ellington, Conn., and Rebekah Johnson (Allen) of Collinsville, Conn., and many nieces and nephews and their children.

Jon was preceded in death by his father, Vernon Thiesse; father-in-law, Joseph Blais; mother-in-law, Barbara (Canedy) Blais; brother-in-law, Bradford Blais and his wife, Mary Ann (Wright); and his special aunt and uncle, Ruth and Roland Milow.