Jonathan V. Harlan

Jonathan was born September 29, 1963 in Jackson, TN to Sally and Grover Van Harlan. He received a Bachelor of Arts with honors from the University of Tennessee in 1987. During that time, he won a grant for one year's study at the University of Pune in Maharastra, India in 1986. In 1992, Jonathan completed a Master's Degree in Comparative Religious Studies from Miami of Ohio. He finished some postgraduate work at the University of Virginia before returning to Jackson in 1993.

Jonathan will be remembered as a visionary and innovator. He had the foresight to anticipate the impact of E-commerce on our society and recognized the lack of Internet access in West Tennessee. Jonathan founded Aeneas Internet Services in 1995, which expanded to Aeneas Internet and Telephone in 1999. Jonathan was a courageous man who thrived in the face of adversity. There is no greater testament to his strong character than when an F-5 tornado hit downtown Jackson in 2003-destroying the very foundation of Aeneas. Although the world was falling apart around him, Jonathan remained levelheaded. He put his customers first, and services were restored within twenty-four hours. Aeneas Internet and Telephone was rebuilt and today provides access to customers in every rural county of West Tennessee, as well as many parts of Middle Tennessee and out of state. Aeneas Internet and Telephone has been named to "Entrepreneur Magazine's" Hot 500 list of fastest growing businesses in the United States, as well as "Business Tennessee Magazine's" Hot 100 and "Inc. Magazines" Inc. 5000.

In addition to being CEO of his company, Jonathan was a pioneer in downtown

Jackson redevelopment. He was co-founder of the Lambuth Area Neighborhood Association (LA.NA.) in 1993 and received a LA.N.A. Service Award in 2001. He was elected as a Madison County Commissioner from 1994-2001 and always displayed a keen interest in local politics. Throughout his lifetime, Jonathan served on numerous educational and charity boards and remained a true patron of the arts. Jonathan's inexhaustible generosity and support was well noted, resulting in him being named Jackson Jaycee's Young Man of the Year in 1996.

Throughout his life, Jonathan was attracted to conversations, literature, travel, and various hobbies that would challenge his intellectual growth. Nothing pleased him more than striking up a conversation with a complete stranger. His children often rolled their eyes and laughed at the fact that they could not even go to the grocery store without their dad running into half of Jackson. His personal library was vast, and he was always on hand to give a good recommendation or spark a literary debate. He will be remembered as an avid beekeeper, bread maker, cyclist, outdoors enthusiast, and dominos player. Family and friends will smile fondly at the memory of discovering his freshly baked artisanal loafs on their doorsteps, accompanied by a small jar of his Strong Monkey label honey.

Jonathan is preceded in death by his father, Grover Van Harlan, and his brother, Thomas Harlan. He is survived by his wife, Fiona, his children, Alexandra, Niall, Georgina,and Aidan, as well as his mother, Sally Harlan, sister Elizabeth Jerge and his many nieces.

Jonathan's Memorial service will be held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church on Sunday, November 18, 2018 The Visitation begins at 1pm with the service to follow.