Jonathan Kenney Stanko

Jonathan Kenney Stanko, age 32, passed away on Sunday, January 5, 2025 in Norwalk, CT after a short battle with cancer.  He was the beloved husband of Emma Claire Chassagnoux and died on their 6-month wedding anniversary.  Even though they only had 6 months of married life, Jonathan was happy and lucky to have found the love of his life.

Jonathan was born on September 9, 1992 in Waterbury, CT to John F. Stanko and Maura (Kenney) Stanko.  He grew up in Southbury, CT and participated in almost all the local sports programs.  He graduated from Pomperaug High School and earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Iona College (now University).  He worked at Iona College Athletics and then landed his dream job as a Production Technician at Barstool Sports in New York City.  It is said if you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life.  Jonathan loved his job at Barstool, his co-workers and the camaraderie of the sports world; he was very disappointed when he became too sick to go to work.

Jonathan loved sports and had an uncanny ability to quote obscure statistics and records.  He played all sports with abandon and was proud of his long list of “battle scars.” He ran several marathons and half-marathons.  Even though he went to college and then worked in New York, he was always a passionate fan of Boston’s professional teams.  This caused a lot of good-natured ribbing both at work and at home.

He was an avid movie fan and designed an elaborate spreadsheet of the 3,128 films he watched and his ratings of them.  He critiqued the movies on his blog, “Stanko’s Stance” https://stankosstance.com/ He enjoyed writing and used the blog as his creative outlet to share his thoughts on life, sports, and movies.  He wrote about everything: his golf rounds, fantasy football recaps, watching and ranking all 26 James Bond movies, his treatment journey, Bachelor Universe episode recaps and power rankings.  He was a huge Taylor Swift fan and she is featured in many of his blogs.

Jonathan was happiest when he was home with Emma. His ideal day began with a breakfast of eggs and bacon on an English muffin with a giant cup of coffee while doing a crossword puzzle at the kitchen table. After going for a run, he would settle on the couch for an afternoon of: movies and sports on the TV, a podcast playing at 2x speed, blogging about a recent movie watch, jotting his ideas and thoughts about a different movie, and Bogey sleeping on the couch nearby. He’d have on his favorite comfy-cozy sweats and a Celtics or Red Sox hat. Emma would be sitting nearby or in the kitchen cooking one of his favorite dinners, chicken cacciatore or shrimp risotto.  He loved his wife and their life together.

Along with his wife, parents, and beloved cat Bogey, Jonathan is survived by his two grandmothers, Joan Stanko and Kathryn Kenney.  He also leaves three younger sisters:  Martha (Zachary Betters), Wendy (William Lambert), and Sophie.  He was very close to his cousins and will be missed by his many aunts and uncles and a new nephew.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center or Hope for Stomach Cancer.

The family would like to extend thanks to all the people who have helped them in the last several months.  Friends and family were extremely generous with help, love, and support.  Profound gratitude to Barstool Sports whose compassion and support greatly helped Jonathan through his journey.  So many went above and beyond to help both Jonathan and Emma, and this kindness will never be forgotten. Arrangements are being made by Raymond Funeral Home in Norwalk, CT.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, January 13th at Rye Presbyterian Church. The address is 882 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY 10580. Any and all family and friends who wish to attend are more than welcome.

Jonathan's family will hold a reception in Norwalk at 12:00 PM. Details will be included in the order of service at RPC.

Please visit www.Raymond.Care to leave an online condolence for the family.

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