Jonathan G. Godwin

Jonathan G. Godwin, 46, of Auburn, MA, passed away on September 25, 2023, at UMass Memorial Hospital from injuries sustained from a motor vehicle accident. Jonathan was born April 6, 1977, in Boston to John and Dorothy (Glogowski) Godwin, and spent his early years in Belmont, MA. As a young child he was considerate, protective, and inquisitive, and his mother fondly remembers often finding him curled up with a book and hearing him deep in conversation with adults by the age of 2.

Jonathan graduated from Belmont High School and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. While at UMass he discovered his love of science and research and went on to work at the Harvard Gene Therapy Initiative and then at the Transplant Research Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. During that time, he was introduced to the field of immunology, which would become his chosen area of research. After performing graduate work at UMass Medical School, he accepted a position at AbbVie Bioresearch Center in the Biologics department, then moved to Foundational Immunology, and contributed to pivotal research and development programs at AbbVie for 8 years in total. He will be remembered by his colleagues and friends as endlessly passionate about science, exceptionally innovative and creative, and as a dedicated mentor to junior scientists. 

Jonathan met his wife Mollie at the Transplant Research Center in Boston, and soon after they became inseparable. They were one another’s greatest teachers, guided and lovingly supported each other through times of adversity and celebration, and were overjoyed to recently welcome their daughter Lily. After retiring from his career in science, Jonathan became a devoted caregiver to Lily, who was the center and light of his life. He instilled in her his love of music and nature, his adventurous spirit, and his belief in practicing openness and compassion.

Jonathan was an avid bass fisherman, a self-taught musician, an accomplished chess player, a lifelong weightlifter, a skilled horticulturist, a mixed martial arts enthusiast, a cyclist and snowboarder, and a student of philosophy. He loved and frequently rescued animals, returning lost dogs to their owners or turtles to a nearby pond. He spent much of his time outdoors hiking with his family and with his dog Aiko in tow, often spending hours in the woods exploring or fishing for bass. He carefully tended the land behind his home with a conservationist mindset and for the future benefit of his daughter. He was committed to helping others and would use his knowledge and understanding of science and other pursuits to advise his friends and family, sometimes reading about diverse topics for hours to ensure he was sufficiently educated to provide guidance. He was known for speaking up for those who could not speak for themselves, and for protecting those who needed his help. His family and friends will remember him for his unwavering loyalty, his perseverance and fortitude, his analytical intellect and curiosity of mind, his quick wit, his independent and creative thinking, his love of travel and immersing himself in other cultures, his kindness and compassion, and most of all for how completely he loved his daughter Lily.

In recent years, Jonathan had become involved in the study and practice of Buddhism, forming a Buddhist sangha with his friend David Weremay under the guidance of his father. Jonathan also recently had the opportunity to receive teachings from his father’s lama, Anyen Rinpoche, who has been organizing prayer sessions on Jonathan’s behalf.

In addition to his parents, Jonathan is survived by his beloved wife of 13 years, Mollie Jurewicz; his adored daughter, Lily; his sister, Rachel Tara Godwin and nephew Jameson; his uncle Joseph Godwin; his parents-in-law, Margaret O’Toole, John Ewald, and Scott Jurewicz; his brothers- and sisters-in-law, Matt Ewald and Liz Keefe, Lindsay Ewald and Ross Manley, Bonnie Ewald and Arjun Majithia, Dylan Ewald and Julia Maraczi, and Annika Hughes; his 6 nieces and nephews, and many, many friends.  

A celebration of Jonathan’s life is being planned. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Jonathan’s memory to the MSPCA or the Nature Conservancy.