Obituary: Johnathan D. Thiesse

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

A Celebration of Life will be held on October 1, 2024 at Holcomb Farm North Barn Pavilion located at 113 Simsbury Road, West Granby, with visitation from 5 pm to 7:00 pm, with a short memorial service at 6:15. An additional Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in Minnesota.

Jon was born on March 16, 1960 in Fairmont, MN to Vernon and Lois (Malo) Thiesse. After spending his early years in Fairmont, the family relocated to Starbuck, MN, where Jon attended all 13 years of school and graduated from high school as an honor student in 1978. He grew up on his family’s farm among the herd of beef cattle and rows of corn and soybean, doing his share of chores in between his many school activities. At Starbuck High School, Jon was a star athlete in both basketball and football, and played drums in the high school band. As a member of 4-H, he showed steers at the Minnesota State Fair with his siblings, bringing home a bounty of ribbons. His family enjoyed vacations to the mountainous western U.S. national parks, and often took excursions with the Opdahl family who owned a nearby farm, where Jon and his sister and brothers could be frequently found.

He was Senior Class President and President of the National Honor Society, and he earned commendation status in the National Merit Scholar Program. Following high school, Jon attended North Dakota State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.

After college, he was employed for several years at Summit Engineering in Reno, NV, before relocating to Connecticut. He carried his calm Midwestern presence and easy smile wherever he went. A licensed Professional Engineer in both California and Connecticut, Jon spent the remainder of his engineering career devoted to public service in municipal government, first for the City of New Britain, Connecticut, and then as the Town Engineer for Bloomfield, Connecticut until his retirement earlier in 2024.

Jon married Patrice Murphy (Nelson) in 1983 and they later divorced. While married, 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 September 7, 1996. The couple shared a passion for playing volleyball and met on the court. They became teammates for life, helping each other through the challenges and celebrating the victories, running local volleyball leagues in the Farmington Valley, hiking with friends, spending time in their ever-expanding gardens, raising goats and traveling with friends and family during their 28 years of marriage. Jon enjoyed nature and the outdoors, playing golf, and was a sports enthusiast, especially for his favorite sport of hockey. (Go Wild!)

In his later years, Jon had a lasting, positive impact on his chosen Connecticut hometown of Canton, using his engineering and municipal government skills as the Chairman of the community’s Planning and Zoning Commission which he joined in 2013 and served on for 11 years. He was previously a member of the town’s former Planning Commission for three years. Under Jon’s leadership, the town received multiple honors from the American Planning Association Connecticut Chapter, including in 2015 and 2019 for the implementation of its updated Plan of Conservation and Development. The Implementation Awards recognized the plan as a planning project of unusually high merit for which there are demonstrated results. As Chairman of the Plan of Conservation and Development Update Committee, Jon accepted the award with Town Planner Neil Pade, and the 2013 Annual Report of the Town of Canton was dedicated to the POCD Committee. In 2019, the community received a Connecticut Main Street Award of Excellence for its success in using form-based codes to address nondescript, sprawling development along a suburban corridor linking established historic village centers. The work resulting from both initiatives also was used to support numerous grants, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars provided to the community in subsequent awards.

In addition to his wife Melissa and daughter Lanaya Nelson of Norwalk, CT, Jon is survived by his mother Lois Thiesse of St. Peter, MN; brothers Kent Thiesse (Liz) of Lake Crystal, MN and Clint Thiesse (Dana) of Reno, NV; sister Jennifer Thiesse (Randy Menk) of St. Peter, MN; and his twin brother, Jeff Thiesse (Jay Falcon) of Fountain Hills, AZ. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law: Deborah Thomas (Leonard) of

Ellington, CT and Rebekah Johnson (Allen) of Collinsville, CT, 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.

The family expresses their heartfelt appreciation to the many friends and family who supported Jon and Melissa in a myriad of ways over the last 17 months.