UPDATE: Services for Jonathon T. Fleck will be held on Friday, January 30, 2026 at 2:30 pm and the Krebsbach and Kulseth Funeral Home Chapel.   Burial will follow in the Bowman Cemetery.

Jonathan Thomas Fleck was born on 1 June 1981 at Fort Carson Army Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a child of service from the very beginning, born into motion, duty, and belonging.

As a young man, Jonathan answered a call larger than himself and entered the United States Air Force on 24 February 2004. His first assignment took him to Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, and from there, across the ocean to Yokota Air Force Base in Japan. It was there that he met Saori Kaneko, the woman who would become his wife. Their life story together began there, rooted in love and shared horizons. In 2014, they welcomed their son, Eli, and Jonathan stepped fully into the role that would define him most deeply, fatherhood.

Soon after Eli's birth, the Fleck family transferred to Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. As a young Non-Commissioned Officer, Jonathan excelled, earning promotion to Technical Sergeant through quiet determination and earned respect. During this chapter of life, he and Saori welcomed their daughter, Emma, in 2017, a joy that deepened his purpose and softened his strength.

Jonathan's exceptional performance as a Quality Assurance Inspector during a second tour at Yokota Air Force Base in Tokyo in 2020 led to his selection for promotion to Master Sergeant. In March 2024, the 71st Rescue Generation Squadron at Moody Air Force Base welcomed his talents as a Production Superintendent, and the Fleck family once more were in motion, this time to South Georgia.

Throughout his entire career, Jonathan served on the C-130 Hercules, which he proudly referred to as his plane. A dedicated maintainer and propulsion specialist, his reliable hands and sharp mind saved countless missions-both stateside and abroad. His service was marked by excellence, humility, and devotion. His decorations include theMeritorious Service Medal; Air and Space Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster; Air and Space Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster; Meritorious Unit Award with one Oak Leaf Cluster; Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with ten Oak Leaf Clusters; Air Force Good Conduct Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters; Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; and the Humanitarian Service Medal with two Service Stars.

Jonathan moved often, as military families do. As a toddler, he lived in Anchorage, Alaska, on Fort Greely, before moving to Columbus and then Hilliard, Ohio. During his teenage years, he lived with his mother, Connie, amid the bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada. After graduating high school, he joined his sister Sonia in Denver, Colorado. Yet through every change of address and every new horizon, one place remained constant…the family's origins in Bowman, North Dakota.

Jonathan was the son of Randy Fleck and Connie Kalina, and both the Fleck and Kalina families are woven deeply into the fabric of this small town of quiet strength and humble presence. Jonathan carried the names of his grandfathers on both sides, and through him, generations past continued to walk forward.  As a boy, Jonathan spent summers alongside his sister Sonia on the Kalina farm, lying atop haystacks beneath a warm sun, picking strawberries with Grandma Eileen, riding four-wheelers with Uncle Jason, and chasing cattle with Grandpa Tommy. He also spent many afternoons at the Fleck family's Town & Country Café and Truck Stop, watching travelers pass through, serving menus to locals and tourists alike, and, most memorably, receiving Grandma Audrey's generous spoiling in the form of the best burgers, steaks, and ice cream around. On slow, golden afternoons, Grandpa Johnny and his father took him fishing. These were not ordinary moments; Jonathon was living precious moments of irreplaceable childhood where half the town felt like family.

In his teens, Jonathan was known for his kindness, courtesy, and soft-spoken presence. Slow to anger, those who knew him likened him to an oak tree, steady, grounded, and quietly strong. His deadpan humor, paired with deep loyalty and sincerity, left friends, colleagues, and family laughing while feeling safe in his company. He admired Jimi Hendrix and Ozzy Osbourne, and later folk artists such as Mumford & Sons. He was a terrible singer, but he sang anyway. A lifelong fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oakland (not Las Vegas) Raiders, Jonathan celebrated their victories and, after defeats, true to his gentle nature, took a quiet walk. Loyal to family in all things, Jonathan maintained a strong and enduring bond with his sister Sonia throughout his life. Together they shared life's beauty and its battles, traveling together to more than eleven countries across Europe, Asia, and the United States, filling the years with journeys, conversations, and shared understanding.

But, above all else, Jonathan was a deeply hands-on and loving father. He poured his off-duty time into his children. Weekends were spent at amusement parks, beaches, baseball games, and birthday parties. Evenings brought enchilada or lasagna nights, with Dad as the chef. Eli and Emma were his most precious gifts, and they are forever blessed by the love he gave so freely and fully.

Jonathan is survived by his wife, Saori; his children, Eli and Emma; his sister, Sonia Fleck brother-in-law-Benoit; his uncle and friend, Jason Kalina and life partner Deb Guidinger; his father, Army Sergeant First Class (Ret.) Randy Fleck, and Randy's wife Shelly, and their children Dakota, Julianna, and Sierra.

Jonathan's life reminds us that strength does not need to shout, that love shows itself in steady hands and open hearts, and that a life of service, when lived with kindness, leaves a quiet, unbreakable light behind