Jonathan Lee Burstein

Jonathan L. Burstein died on April 24, 2022, in his home on Bainbridge Island, WA, at the age of 45. His death was sudden, caused by undetected coronary arteriosclerosis.

Jonathan’s passing leaves a big hole in the heart of his beloved wife Alanna and all of his family, friends, and colleagues. A long-time technologist, entrepreneur, and angel investor in the Seattle area, Jonathan was known professionally for his brilliant mind, fearlessness, ability to solve the hardest problems, and utmost integrity. He was a sought-after technology leader and had a significant impact on some of Seattle’s greatest companies, including; Amazon, Zillow (where he was a Product Lead and a co-inventor of Zestimate), and Microsoft. Jonathan was most recently a Principal Engineer at Remitly, which he joined as the result of the acquisition of Jargon, the company he co-founded and led as CTO.

Jonathan was born in September of 1976 in Yonkers, NY, and grew up in Livingston, New Jersey. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Williams College in 1998 where he played ultimate frisbee and double majored in computer science and political economy. Jonathan was the definition of a life-long learner and was eager to know everything about everything! He was passionate about the causes he believed in and could geek out on anything from political events, to obscure books, movies, and of course any form of technology. A child of the grunge era, he had an eclectic taste in music and often listened to music while he worked. He attended many live shows in Seattle. His favorite bands included Screaming Trees, The Afghan Whigs, TV on the Radio, Deerhunter, Funkadelic, Radiohead, Rush, and The Roots. A show by D’Angelo and the Vanguard at the Showbox was a highlight of shows Alanna and Jonathan attended during their time together.

Jonathan loved his family endlessly and had many loyal and life-long friends. Jonathan loved to travel and had an impressive number of stamps in his passport to show for it. He enjoyed soaking up all the natural beauty of his home in the PNW, especially being near the water. Jonathan and Alanna spent as much time as possible at their ‘happy place’ on Camano Island, Washington

Jonathan is survived by his wife Alanna, parents Renee and Fred of Seattle, brother Michael, sister-in-law Karen, nephews Jared and Alex of Glenview, IL, as well as Alanna’s parents Kären and Larry Ahern, sister Mariah and her husband Matt, all of Bainbridge Island, and his beloved four-legged companion Murray. Jonathan was blessed with many close friends, in particular Stephen Brown and John Thimsen who were like brothers to him.

Jonathan was laid to rest at Hillcrest Cemetery on Bainbridge Island, and a celebration of his life will follow.

If you’re inclined to make a donation in honor of Jonathan, please consider public radio station KEXP, which provided the soundtrack of his life, and who's moto of “you are not alone” holds special significance to his wife and friends at this difficult time.


Article about Jonathan’s career and impact on the local Seattle tech world: https://www.geekwire.com/2022/jonathan-burstein-1976-2022-engineer-investor-and-entrepreneur-was-a-natural-problem-solver/

Arrangements are entrusted to Cook Family Funeral Home of Bainbridge Island, WA