Jonathan David Zellan M.D.

Jonathan was the beloved husband of Stephanie Marks, father of Isabelle and Gabrielle Zellan, son of Barbara Zellan, brother of Deborah Zellan and Andrea Zellan, son-in-law of Gerald and Wendy Marks, brother-in-law of Andrew Grossman, Steve Countermine, Emily and Andrew Kirshenbaum, Betsy Teitelbaum, Seth and Susan Teitelbaum, uncle of Evan, Kayla, Daisy, Jesse, Max, Vivian, Hannah, Adam and Danielle. Jonathan was predeceased by his father, Robert Zellan, his mother-in-law, Linda Marks and his brother-in-law, Jay Teitelbaum.

Jonathan was a true renaissance man and a mensch. He was determined, kind, gentle, ethical, creative, intellectually curious and hilariously funny. As an Infectious Disease specialist, he dedicated his medical career to working in non-profit clinical settings, for the last 15 years at Sun River Health (starting when it was HELP/PSI), providing care to the underserved with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, addiction and general medicine. He was a lover of history and all things mechanical, starting from the time he was a teenager, when he did an internship at a local auto mechanic’s shop. As a teen, he also worked in his family’s hardware store and millwork business, Doane & Williams, where he developed a deep appreciation of the cabinetmakers there. As an adult he amassed an impressive collection of power and hand tools and made himself an adjustable workbench in his basement workshop. He could fix just about anything in the family’s or friends’ homes. Jonathan was an avid Boston sports fan and loved cheering on the Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics with family.

Most of all, Jonathan loved his family, focusing his courageous and astounding perseverance on being a loving father to Isabelle and Gabrielle and a partner to Stephanie, his college sweetheart and soulmate. He was a loving son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and friend.

Jonathan received his B.A. in History from Columbia University, cum laude, in 1993. Before medical school, he worked at the Medical Research Council in the laboratory of Jonathan Hodgkin, PhD at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge UK. He helped to identify, clone and sequence a gene for sex determination in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (the research he contributed to was published "Development" 120 (12), 3681-3689). He earned his M.D. from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester, MA, graduating in 1998. Jonathan trained at Lenox Hill Hospital for his residency, at SUNY Downstate Medical Center for his ID fellowship, and at the New York AIDS Institute for specialized training, all in New York City. He was board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease.

Donations in Jonathan’s memory can be made to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (https://www.aidshealth.org/donate/).

The funeral will take place at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, 68 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston, NJ 07039, on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 11:00 am, with a livestream available at https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/121810.

The family will be receiving guests from 10:15am to 10:45am. The burial will follow at Beth Israel Cemetery, 1098 Woodbridge Center Dr, Woodbridge Township, NJ 07095.