Jason Thomas Kostrzewa

Jason Thomas Kostrzewa, 45, of Beaverton, Ore., passed away Aug. 30, 2015. He was born in Saginaw, Mich., on Feb. 6, 1970 to Thomas and Helen (Hutchison) Kostrzewa. Jason proudly graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging Engineering, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in French. He went on to establish a career at Genentech as a Senior Packaging Development Engineer, forging strong friendships and alliances wherever he traveled.

On Aug. 21, 2004, a beautiful sunny day in SW Michigan, in front of family and friends he married his sweetheart of four years, Richard Williams. Together, they spent the next ten years building a life full of love, respect and trust. They both shared a love for travel- travelling extensively for both work and pleasure. This included six cruises ranging from the warm and tropical Caribbean to the majesty and wild of Alaska- all the while gathering hundreds of new friends and making lasting memories, two enchanting trips to Ireland and England, and relocating first to Memphis, TN for seven years, then Portland, OR- where in record time, they became locals- immersing themselves indelibly in the hearts and lives of many. Jason with his quick wit, clever mind and inviting smile and laughter made friends easily and naturally- to say that he was a kind, loving soul and would give you the shirt off his back -seems understating. Jason was a man of many passions: Cats, cats and all things cats, 80's music on vinyl (esp Pat Benetar), Golden Girls, Star Wars, kitschy awesome T- shirts, games of all kinds (esp those on his iPhone), Sunday morning crosswords and coupon clipping, and, of course: anything casino- which he loved most surrounded by family and friends.

Jason is survived by his loving husband Richard Williams and their five beloved cats: Dega, Mahna Mahna, Sherry, Sweets and Yuki, all of which, together, they rescued (except Mahna Mahna- SHE rescued them) ; parents Thomas and Helen Kostrzewa; sister Lori Hoffman, her husband Steve and their son Derek; sister Cheryl Banning, her husband Zenn, and their children Devinn and Calvin; and many loving friends around the world.

Jason was abundantly clear regarding his final wishes: No funeral. No sadness. No memorial. Just love. So in remembrance of Jason, help the helpless: adopt a pet and love and care for it like he would, or donate your time and/or money to your local pet shelter.

Arrangements are under the direction of Pegg, Paxson & Springer Funeral Chapel.