I met Jon, at Rockaway Records in Silverlake, I was a manager there for 16 years. I worked the night shift, and Jon would come in after work after leaving work at Warner Brothers. He made it to the store about half an hour before we closed. One of the main things I did was get to know as many of the customers that came in, I got to be friends with many, Jon was a special guy always upbeat, and we shared a fondness for trivia. We talked about everything, once it was scale models, I was trying to find an old model I had years ago, Jon came into the store a few weeks later and handed me the huge box of the model, he found, I still have it. I was so sad to hear he passed, I left Rockaway back in 2006, but I would think of him and try to find him online, and once in a while if I bumped into someone who worked at Warners I'd ask about him, he was a great guy.

Jon was one of my 1st and favorite friends when I started at Warner Bros.  He came by my desk every day for years!  I left WB 15 years ago, but never forgot my friend.   When I would come home to Burbank I would often think of Jon and his parents as I would visit Toluca Lake.  God bless Jon, God speed, my friend!

Jon  and I knew each other in Virginia in the mid-80s. He was very kind and clever with a steel-trap mind for trivia. He would win a game of Trivial Pursuit in one turn. Although we fell out of touch, I never forgot his smile, panache and open-mindedness.  I always wanted to get out to CA to visit and I wish I had. You are missed.

I was saddened to learn that Jon had passed over a year ago. I worked with him for several years in the WB Mailroom facilities. Indeed he was one of the kindest, thoughtful and most patient of anyone I have ever known.
His memory was absolutely incredible along with his vast knowledge of comics, film and a variety of other topics.
I loved how he would stop mid-sentence and whip out his pen and puff it like a cigar to accentuate his point while doing a W.C Fields-like impression.
There was no one like Jon, he will be deeply missed.

Mandrake introduced me to the complete written works of The Shadow during college which resulted in favoring Lamont Cranston over Latin. He loaned me his Honda 160 with the embarrassing Captain America helmet for six months. Most of all I will remember how he was constantly upbeat and happy, and that is why you always wanted to be near him [Hello Helen Smythers.]

Jon was a friend of mine for 23 years. He was one of the most kind-hearted and generous men I've ever known. It was an honor to be his friend.

Jay, I hadn't seen you in fifteen years, but I miss you every day.  A kinder, funnier, gentler, more generous friend does not exist on this planet.

I met Jay on Sunday, November 21st, 1976 in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia at a 1 day science fiction convention. For 39+ years Jay has been my best friend. We went to many movies, conventions, restaurantsyou name itusually with a group of friends. I never had so much fun as I did on those occasions, we were always chuckling or laughing or horsing around so hard we cried. He was brilliant, clever, so talented. I put Jay in the first motion picture I produced in 1985. 

When he moved to Burbank shortly after, I visited him often, and finally moved to LA myself in 1997, continuing the laughs.  Jay let my kids play on the Lois and Clark sets at WB. Jay saved my bacon a number of times over the years, and always had some very appreciated gift for me.  EVERYONE LOVED JAY! 

As time went on we saw less and less of each other, and that I regret, the time not spent. The radio stations here called him "Mr. Trivia" and had him on their shows all the time. I frequently "picked his brains" on subjects that usually and miraculously he knew EVERYTHING about.

I wake up each day and for a moment I think "is Jay still with us"but this is real and he has departed the physical plane. I've never been this sad about losing anyoneI don't expect to get over this very soonif ever. Godspeed Jay, we'll all miss you deeplyand give our love to your folks and to Tim Warner.

I met Jay on Sunday, November 21st, 1976 in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia at a 1 day science fiction convention. For 39+ years Jay has been my best friend. We went to many movies, conventions, restaurantsyou name itusually with a group of friends. I never had so much fun as I did on those occasions, we were always chuckling or laughing or horsing around so hard we cried. I put Jay in the first film I produced in 1985. 

When he moved to Burbank shortly after, I visited him often, and finally moved to LA myself in 1997, continuing the laughs.  Jay let my kids play on the Lois and Clark sets at WB. Jay saved my bacon a number of times over the years, and always had some very appreciated gift for me.  EVERYONE LOVED JAY! 

As time went on we saw less and less of each other, and that I regret, the time not spent. The radio stations here called him "Mr. Trivia" and had him on their shows all the time. I frequently "picked his brains" on subjects that usually and miraculously he knew EVERYTHING about.

I wake up each day and for a moment I think "is Jay still with us"but this is real and he has departed the physical plane. I've never been this sad about losing anyoneI don't expect to get over this very soonif ever. Godspeed Jay, we'll all miss you deeplyand give our love to your folks and to Tim Warner.

I first met Jay at Wm & My. An appreciation of Uncle Scrooge comic books was the initial common denominator.  I don't know of anyone who could get to know some facet of a person and turn that into a special recognition of that person as a worthy and unique individual. Jay did that every day with everyone.  I'll miss Jay.

My prayers and thoughts are with you John. I hope to see you soon again someday : (

Jay was a generous ,bright ,kind and truly amazing person . There were lots of fun adventures ,dinners ,movies and gatherings . I'll miss the weekly phone calls covering a broad range of subjects ,jokes ,impersonations ,asides and generally good natured banter . Gone from us too soon .

I met Jay when we were freshmen at W&M. He was the kind of person that once you met him, he became a part of your life forever, whether you were in frequent contact or had rare and wonderful encounters. I got to see him occasionally in Virginia after college, and only a couple of times in California, but I often thought of him, and was very happy when he called to ask or tell me something arcane or amazing. As others have noted, he was kind, thoughtful, generous and really, a social phenomenon; he was a Renaissance man of information that was interesting to him, and could probably find a way to connect with almost anyone; as Harry said, he was where he was supposed to be, and not everybody gets to do that. He was rich in friends (who didn't love Jay?), and he was able to live the life he wanted and be who he wanted to be. Does life get any better than that? I rejoice that Jay was my friend, and that I was his friend. My life is so much richer for having known him. Thanks Mandrake!

I've known Jay for 42 years, he was a mentor and an inspiration to me all of my life. When I was  a kid I would draw all of the  time and leave my drawings out. While I slept Jay would add captions and word balloons, giving my my doodles new meaning and making connections that I hadn't intended, and it was wonderful...and it encouraged me to draw more. 
He was also a font of useless information, and I picked up a lot of that trivia. When I would share some bit of esoteric information people would ask where I learned that..."Jay" was  always the  answer. After a while if I said something that sounded remotely esoteric, they didn't  have to even ask..."that was from Jay, right?"
He shared his comics, his books videos, laserdiscs, DVDs...everything. And he taught me so much about science fiction and comics. And most importantly,He was one of the kindest, friendliest  and most generous person I've ever known. I will miss our conversations, and seeing and sharing new movies, TV shows and comics with him...but he will always be a part of me.

May god bless you Jay, as he has blessed us by knowing you.

Jon was a very good friend of mine and I will miss him dearly.He had such a beautiful mind.His soul always shined bright. He would make friends wherever he went. The world is a little sadder place without him in it. We worked together in the same building at Warner Bros.for many years. For almost every day for twelve years we sat and had lunch together. He would tell me his stories and all about his friends. We also had many outings and road trips over the years. I will miss those.
He was known by many names: Jon of course ( he always liked let you know how he spelled it JON. Sometimes people called him Johnnie. Some call him Big Jon because there was a Little John in the building.Some people called him Charlie. His father used to call him Charlie Bozo His oldest childhood friends all call him JAY His College friends all knew him as MANDRAKE (and only they know why)
I will miss you Jon Charles Trapnell. God Bless you. I know you are in a better place.

Your Friend 
Michael James Smith

He was a good friend, Smart, and kind soul. Miss you Jon.

Cousin Jay was kind, authentic, and his own special person: I miss him.

May your family find strength and comfort knowing that God can help you through this most difficult time. Psalms 94:19

I can't believe he is gone.  He was a rock for me.  I looked forward to his calls, at least once a week.  We were born within a few days of each other so always shared birthday greetings.  We first met at St Stephen's School in Alexandria, Virginia, when we were both 15.  I was sorry when he moved to California, but I knew he was born to live there - I'm just sorry I lost the opportunity to hang out with him.  I felt like he and I had so many common references that talking to him was unlike talking to anyone else. Since he died, I have realized just how many friends he had - no surprise, since he charmed everyone he met.  He was friendly, cheerful, kind, funny and a source of wonderful stories and trivia.  A delightfully fun person to be around or just chat with on the phone.  I feel privileged to have known him and to have been his friend, and his passing has left a big hole in my heart that will take a while to heal.

Jay was my brother's BFF growing up and, consequently, was my friend as well.  They called me a "typically dizzy brunette".  (Sigh). He was a sweet person and will be missed.

Who can ever imagine the world without Jay, His wit was beyond question, and his knowledge of so many aspects of film and television was not to be equaled,
In short a mind without limits and a heart as big as a galaxy, for those who knew him they will never forget him,
And all those who had spent time with him will forever mourn his passing and feel a loss that will never be  ending,
in short I will never accept this loss as he was one of the most unique souls that has ever crossed my path..he is missed deeply.

OBITUARY

Jon Charles Trapnell

November 3, 1952 – August 20, 2015

Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park and Mortuary

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