Jon "Lil J" Gullette

Jon Louis Gullette, 19, passed away on August 12, 2018 after a tragic car accident in Livermore, California. He was born on September 11, 1998 in San Diego, California to his loving parents Jon and Deborah and sister Angela. His Nano and Nana Carmen & Dorothy, Grandparents Jon M. & Vicki, Aunts and Uncles and cousins, also survive him. Jon also leaves behind his furry best friend Sara. Sara is our family dog but she really became Jon’s dog once we brought her home. Jon picked Sara out when we got her and they were inseparable ever since, she listened to him the best, always laid with him and protected him. Jon brought Sara with him everywhere he could with him; he never wanted to leave her behind. Jon graduated from West High School class of 2016 and was excited to begin his second year at Las Positas College. Jon enjoyed his time working at Americas Tire in Tracy, as a tire tech. He was a very hard worker by just looking at his hands. No matter how much he washed them, they were always black from oil or something he got on his hands that day, we used to all always give him such a hard time, but you could tell he was so proud his oily hands and how hard he worked. I have never seen a closer group of coworkers, he made such great friends through work, you could just tell by how many people showed up for him and genuinely care for him. We didn’t really meet too many of his friends but it’s definitely a comforting feeling knowing he had so many people in his life outside of family. Jon had many, many hobbies! Boating: Jon was Captain of the boat. From an early age, he showed great interest in boating. I remember teaching him how to drive the boat around the age of 10. He would sit in my lap, play with the throttle and make turns, always wanting to go faster. Around the age of 16, he had learned enough to take the helm and safely navigate the boat on his own. Once he got his driver’s license, all he wanted to do was learn to back the boat into the water. By the time he turned 18 he was a better sailor than I was and was officially the “Captain” of our boat. Drag racing: Jon would spend days, even weeks before his race getting his car just right for his race. The day before he would clean his car so perfectly and would make sure it was in the garage the whole day so no dust or dirt would mess up his hard work. His car was not always the fastest, but he loved just being on the track with all the other cars, it was like his second home. I only had the privilege of watching him race it one time, but watching him that day I could tell that was his passion. It is where he wanted to be. He would spend hours telling different stories and talking about all the different cars and making me guess what make and model, they were just so he could correct me when I guessed wrong. Marksmanship: I remember the first time I took Jon to the shooting range; he was about 12 years old. He was excited and wanted to learn how to properly handle a firearm. The first time he sent a round down range at the target, it startled him but to his amazement, his shot had hit the target. His focus and confidence grew from there to the point that he became a very good marksman. On his 16th birthday, we bought him his first rifle, a .22 Ruger. He loved and took care of that gun like everything else he had. I will miss going to the range with him, but will smile every time I send a round down range because I know he will be there watching me and giving me constructive feedback on my marksmanship. Working on cars: You could pretty much find Jon in the garage any time he was home either working on his car, or any of his friends cars that needed work. It did not matter what needed to be done. Everyone knew to go to him when their car made some weird noise or just needed a simple oil change. I should probably learn how to change my oil now because he would be so mad at me if I ever paid someone to do it for me. Hiking: Jon always had to be the leader when we all went on hikes up different arms of Lake Shasta, usually with Sara not far behind. He always wanted to try new hikes and find new cool places to explore. He never showed any fear and would always want to climb the biggest rock or jump off something that looked crazy to the rest of us. He was always so brave in everything and in that made the rest of us brave too, he made the scariest of things seem fun. Swimming: He was a little fish. He would go in the water when nobody else would. He would get Sara to feel so safe with him that she would not even try to swim; she let him keep her afloat. Then he would always do some type of water sport, which he was able to master all that he tried. He had to keep up or try to do better than his big sister… Vacations: Lake Shasta, July 2018, Jon’s last trip to his favorite place in the world. I enjoyed watching him operate the boat, my fear that he would crash it is now completely gone. So proud of him when disaster almost struck as the houseboat broke loose from the shore. His quick reaction to untie the boat so I could move it out of the way was amazing. Then he found a way to jump back into the water and save his grandfather’s boat as well. Don’t know how he did it but that was Jon. Jon also really enjoyed movies; he loved his action movies. When he was young his favorite movie was Mighty Joe Young, he loved “Big Joe”. As he grew up his preference changed a little to more racing and military style movies. Anything with nonstop action was right up his alley. He probably had most of the Fast and Furious movies memorized; he for sure knew what cars were in them. I guess in some ways has was larger than life like “Big Joe” and the characters in “Fast and the Furious”. Jon also enjoyed playing basketball and playing video games. Another big part of Jon’s life are his cousins, Jon was the youngest out of all his cousins. Cousin is not a strong enough word to describe his relationship and what he meant to each one of us. He was everyone’s brother, best friend, and THE favorite. He brought life to the group, always leading the way, on a hike or game or anything we did together. We are so lucky to have a group of cousins that are so close, that are best friends in every way, and it will never ever be the same without our Jon. He was always there for everyone, the big moments like graduations, weddings, or when one of us moved into a new place. Even for the smallest moments, like helping us with our cars, or building a turtle cage. When we would sleep over at the Gullette’s house, he would set up his room so we each had a place to sleep, and would have a movie ready for us to watch together before we went to bed. He came to our work events, got to know our friends and other family members, and was always just happy being around no matter what we were doing. If you know any of us, you also know Jon, and not just know him, but you came to love him like we did. He made loving him so easy. If we ever made plans to do something together as a group, he would be the first one there even though most often he was the furthest away. He loved competing with his cousins in basketball, cards, or any other game. However, he was also the one who would go out of his way to teach us anything we didn’t know. He found a way to lead the pack, but would also be the one making sure everyone was ok in the group, staying back on hikes to make sure everyone knew the path and got up the rocks safely. We all saw him as our little baby brother, even as he grew up to become the best man we would all ever know. Our best memories include him and our lives would not be the same without him. We laughed the hardest when he was around. He was always being silly, making us laugh with his little dances and just by being Jon. We always talked about us growing up together, and how our kids would be as close to each other as we were. We don’t know how we will ever be able to replicate the love, life and light he brought to our lives, but we will do everything we can to live by his example, and to be there for each other the way he was for us.
We invite all who loved Jon to his Celebration of life will be on Monday, August 20, at 3:30 p.m. at Fry Memorial Chapel. 550 S. Central Avenue, Tracy, California 95376.

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