Jonathan Lohnes was born January 14, 1947, in Springfield, Ohio, and passed away at age 77 of Interstitial Lung Disease April 3, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Springfield North High School in Ohio before traveling to Hanover, New Hampshire, to attend Dartmouth College, where he majored in Economics and graduated in 1968. He then spent over four years as an officer in the US Navy, including serving in Viet Nam.
After embarking on a management training program in the corporate world he decided to become a professional ski instructor at the Northstar-at-Tahoe ski area in California. Upon earning full certification through the Professional Ski Instructor Association, he moved to Mt. Spokane in Washington to become Assistant Ski School Director. The very next year he was hired as the Ski School Director, responsible for establishing the Multorpor Ski Bowl Ski School in Government Camp, Oregon, assisted by his dedicated staff. He meanwhile created an extremely successful city league ski racing program alongside his talented friends at Universal Ski Promotions.
Following a two-year stint in the emerging cellular phone industry, Jonathan returned to skiing to become the Ski School Director at Timberline Ski Area on Mt. Hood for ten years, involving instruction in downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding plus summer race camps.
In 1997 Jonathan earned his Oregon Massage License from East-West College of the Healing Arts in Portland. Over his career as a Licensed Massage Therapist he opened three offices to pursue his private practice and became associated with McMenamins Edgefield as an LMT both before and after they opened Ruby’s Spa in 1997.
Around 2006 Jonathan began practicing massage for the dancers of Oregon Ballet Theatre, serving them through the Allegro Society, the team of chiropractors, physical therapists, physicians, massage therapists, acupuncturists and Pilates instructors made available to them for their wellness.
He met Vida Trafford at Lake Tahoe and married her in 1976. He is survived by Vida and his two older brothers, Christopher Lohnes of Springfield, Ohio, and Lee Lohnes of West Hollywood, California. He is fondly remembered by his sisters-in-law and brother-in-law and by numerous nieces and nephews and their spouses, plus several great-nieces and great-nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Edwin and Mary Ellen Lohnes.
Jonathan affected many people and animals through his healing touch, kind words and demeanor. He served as dad to more than a dozen rescued dogs and cats, many with special needs. Donations may be made to an animal organization of your choice, whether local, national, or international.
A celebration of Jonathan’s life is being planned for Sunday, May 26, between 2 and 5pm, at McMemanins Edgefield in Troutdale.
my thoughts, other careers came careening by and my passion to write was placed on the back burner. Now that I am back into the art of the written word, it is an outlet that now has an even bigger and better place in my life.
Although the journalistic approach to writing is a non-biased and complete factual account of names, places and events, becoming a staff writer for the Mountain Times has realigned my focus on writing and is now something I do often as a fun, creative outlet. With several short stories, poems and a novel saved for future adventures, being able to express myself with words is something that is both a blessing and a curse. The fear of failure and judgment that comes with putting your imagination on paper can be a very nerve-racking experience, but I have found it is better to put those ideas into characters, quotes and a storyline rather than let them go to waste.
As a resident of the Mt. Hood Villages for over a decade now, I have grown to love and appreciate this most beautiful area in so many ways. As a local business owner of Coffee House 26, I have seen the many ups and downs that come with living in a tourist destination. During our shutdown with Covid I decided to take my love for reading and writing and incorporate it into my coffee shop, with the addition of new and used books for sale. Sharing both my love for coffee and reading was a dream come true, and it truly seemed to ignite a passion in others, too. Those passions came in the form of a book club, book donations and a theme every month for showcased novels.
With each passing month as a local journalist, I am reminded why I keep the art of writing a huge part of my life. Each interview, article, draft and final proof continues to inspire me to dig deeper into our community for other passionate artists and newsworthy stories. And while being a business owner, journalist and reading enthusiast is a large part of who I am both professionally and creatively, I will always be Amber Lynn, Youngstown, Ohio native, Mt. Hood local, meatball makin’ cat mom at heart.