Stanley Neil Jonasson

    Stan Jonasson died at his home in Port Townsend, WA, on Sunday, Sept 14, 2025, in the embrace of family and friends. He was born in Boise, Idaho in 1947. In Boise, he had several careers, including as a social worker as part of the Lyndon B. Johnson Great Society program. He also worked for a time as a firefighter and forest manager with the U.S. Forestry Service.

     Stan moved to Seattle in the 1980s and became an optician. This career move led him to the creation of Eyes on Fremont. His vision of an independent eyewear business that would offer unique glasses from little-known designers from around the world, and at reasonable prices, was a huge success. Customers came from throughout the Northwest. A truly generous soul, Stan mentored many people in the eyewear business who went on to be frame designers, business owners, producers and phenomenal opticians. Eyes on Fremont lives on in the hands of Nate Ogura, who bought the original store and added a second in Bellingham, Washington.

     Stan’s passion for eyewear fed Stan's wanderlust and led him and his wife, Linda, to travel the world looking for small, independent designers. Eyes on Fremont became the first American exposure to frames from Norway, Poland, Austria, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Japan and Korea. Stan loved to travel for its own sake. He was adventurous. Among his many journeys, a year living in Dunedin, New Zealand was the highlight. There, Stan worked on preserving the habitat of the Yellow-eyed Penguin.

    After selling Eyes on Fremont, Stan and Linda moved to Port Townsend. Stan wanted a Green Built home. After two years of close collaboration with The Green Builder NW, Stan and Linda moved into their new home in 2020. Every aspect of the home reflects ‘green design' and Stan loved to show it off while extolling its many features. According to his wishes, his composted remains will be spread throughout the home's landscape.

     Pickleball became another passion for Stan. While in Seattle, he helped establish the Seattle Metro Pickleball Association, a group that served to organize the city's play. In Port Townsend, he quickly joined the pickleball board and stepped up to design T-shirts and help organize venues, including the courts at Mountain View. But the contribution that epitomizes Stan's spirit was the creation of Social Saturdays. He wanted to see all comers welcomed to the game. He hosted Social Saturday for over a year. Social Saturday continues to welcome all players at the high school courts.

     Stan had discovered another sport, petanque, and had started to develop his game when he was laid low by the cancer that took him. We will keep this most generous, funny, creative, and thoughtful man alive in our hearts: Linda, his wife of almost 40 years; Joanne, his sister, and her husband, Barney; daughters, Carmen & Mikayla; and Max, his step-son, and Max's family.