Jonas Augustine Ilole was born in Ukiligulu, Tanzania on June 27, 1976. He lived with his mother of the Haya tribe from Bukoba during his early childhood, and later moved to join his grandfather and his uncles of the Sukuma tribe in Kisesa, Tanzania while his father was away attending university in Japan and later in California. He is survived by his mother Jane, and his maternal siblings Enock, Stella, Linus, Livinus, Sapiensia, Betty, and (late) Greyson. In Kisesa, he was joined by another brother from his fathers side, Samson, and they remained inseparable through their childhood and young adult lives. He was raised by his beloved grandfather, (Lukona’s namesake) his aunt, Lea, and his uncle, Baba Lau, all of whom he has reunited with now.

In 1992, Jonas and Samson came to America to join his father, Augustine (Amare’s middle namesake as well as Jonas’s), his step-mother Lucia, his new baby brother Daniel, and his new step siblings David, Annie, Emily, Brendan, and Camille. Jonas and Samson traveled alone from Tanzania through Paris to Los Angeles to meet their new American family and life. They lived in Atascadero and then San Luis Obispo where Jonas graduated from high school, a CIF-honored student-athlete. He gained his independence quickly, working from a young age and supporting himself, learning English, and acclimating to the US with apparent ease.

Jonas lived and worked in San Luis Obispo after high school, attending Cuesta with short stints in New York and Miami as well. His daughter Serenity, whom he called Bibi for his mother, was born in 2000, and he was a committed father from the moment he met her.

Jonas met his wife Gia in 2002 at The Graduate in San Luis Obispo. Their love was immediate and everlasting even through long-distance years of college and his later international travel. They lived in several places in the San Luis Obispo area, as well as San Diego, the DC Metro area, the Bay Area, and the Ojai Valley. Jonas graduated from the University of Phoenix in 2010 with a degree in Human Services. He spent years working with the elderly, people with disabilities, and as a behavior therapist for children with autism. Jonas’s interests were diverse and inspirational. He worked in Solar doing sales and installations and later worked in education, teaching Swahili to US military special forces for years before he started his business in hospitality and tourism in Tanzania, returning home and substituting at local schools when he was in Ojai.

Jonas and Gia had their son, Lukona in 2010, hitting the next decade marker for the family tree. Their grandson, Amare was born in 2020. Jonas was an extremely dedicated and fun father and grandfather, as well as uncle to his many nieces and nephews whom he loved being around. Jonas was amazing with all children and coached soccer for years with dear friends in San Rafael and Ojai, and was always playing, running, riding bikes, or out on the basketball court with Lukona and his friends.

Jonas loved his business and travel to Tanzania. He wanted everyone he met to enjoy his country and see all the beauty and excitement it has to offer. He built Tanzikaya from the ground up, from the menu to the tours to hand-crafting the tables and chairs and benches that later held guests enjoying all the things he loved sharing from music to tea and rice and mangoes. He was also a proud new homeowner whose handy work and green thumb will always be apparent in the Ilole house. He had friends all over the world and had a special charisma and talent for making people feel welcome and loved wherever he was. He brought a lot of knowledge and happiness to everyone he encountered, and he will be missed internationally.  

Please consider donating to our Go Fund Me to help bring Jonas home. Visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/in…">https://www.gofundme.com/f/in….

Thank you for the continued love and support from near and far.

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