Jonathan Armando de la Luz, beloved father of Isabel de la Luz Crook (Austin) of Freeport, Florida, and Nicholas de la Luz of Austin, Texas, passed away on Wednesday, March 13 at Hospice Austin's Christopher House after a valiant year-long battle with cancer.

Born Juan Armando Serrano in Tijuana, Mexico on December 30, 1953 to Olivia Serrano Rios and Juan Flores Zamora, days later he received his second identity, John Armando Chavez, when he was adopted by Hector Armando and Guadalupe Dominguez Chavez of San Diego, California.

Jon's early years were spent in various U.S. and Mexican cities where his adoptive father worked for the United States Department of State. As a teen, he enjoyed a quintessential California kid's life in Orange County, working at Disneyland and participating in student government. After his years at Peralta Junior High and graduating from Villa Park High School with classmate Kevin Costner, he received his undergraduate degree in History and Philosophy at UCLA. He later earned a Master's in Future Studies at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Jon's ultimate and truest identity was formed in February 1994 when he and former wife, Allison were married by the same Beverly Hills minister/psychic/private detective (found in the Yellow Pages!) who married Drew Barrymore and her first husband a month later. As the new couple drove the Pacific Coast Highway afterward looking for a place to start their family, they chose his new moniker and their surname from a book on Hispanic genealogy. Twenty years later - in what Jon would proudly call the perfect plot twist - it was discovered researching his genealogy that the name "de la Luz '' was truly an old family name.

A dreamer, BBQ lover, good friend, proud Air Force veteran, and award-winning independent filmmaker, Jon's greatest love and role in life was that of father to Isabel and Nick.

Author Thomas Wolfe is famously quoted as saying, "You can never go home again." Clearly, Mr. Wolfe never met Jon, whose 22-year odyssey to find his birth family and true home was the greatest joy of his life after the birth of his children. 

First connecting in 2017 via Facebook, he met most of his biological family in person at a large family reunion in Mexico in 2019. Long lost siblings Juan Carlos, Raul, Bonita, and Saul, as well as his numerous cousins, nieces and nephews were never far from his thoughts for the rest of his life.

Aside from his children and family - Jon's other great love was film. 

As John Chavez, Jon produced his first movie in 1989. The cult film, Meet The Hollowheads was directed by legendary make-up special effects pioneer, Tom Berman. Oscar winning producer Gray Frederickson was a lifelong mentor and cherished friend, collaborating on several projects.

Early in his career, Jon assisted in structuring major film limited partnerships and innovative tools for financing entertainment projects. His acting career began and ended in 1990 when he was a featured extra in an episode of television classic L.A. LAW.

Jon was a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). Long before streaming, the BAFTA Awards screening DVDs made "Papa" de la Luz especially popular with his children and stepchildren who thought watching movies that hadn't been released yet was seriously cool. 

His recent stint as a judge at the Austin Film Festival was a highlight of his career as a begrudgingly proud "naturalized" Texan. 

Thankfully, Jon long ago forgave his children and their Texan mother for the word, "y'all" becoming a part of their daily vocabulary in spite of his best efforts to the contrary. 

Isabel and Nick will forever remember their dad as the Notorious P-A-P-A.

Genealogy For Justice™, a nonprofit founded by his daughter and her mother, has established the Jonathan de la Luz Memorial Grant to assist Mexican adoptees in uncovering their origins.