Jay VanSant

May 9, 1949 – June 14, 2024 - Jay VanSant was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on May 9th, 1949 to James David VanSant and Lenore Carothers. He has two sisters, Martha (Mitzi) and Jane. He grew up in Pasco, Washington. He attended college at both University of Washington and University of Chicago, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Chicago.

His philosophy and approach to life were born out of his life-long Zen practice. He was a deeply spiritual person and became a lay disciple at Shasta Abbey. He married Barbara Tracy in 1975. They started their family with twin daughters (Kaitlyn and Janine) followed by Julie. Jay started a screen-printing company, Dharma Brothers, but transitioned toward a career in software engineering. He earned a bachelor’s in mathematics at Portland State University. He worked for several software companies, including Mentor Graphics, ParcPlace Systems, GemStone Systems, Brokat Technologies, Symantec Corporation and Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA).

He was a profoundly curious person and a voracious student of many subjects. He would devour technical material, alongside content related to Buddhism, physics and philosophy and then talk to those he loved about how all these topics were inter-related. Jay was a dedicated member of the Dharma Rain Zen Center for over 30 years, where he taught meditation classes. His Zen name was Keido Dosho, which means “footsteps on the path”. In his retirement, he taught workshops on Zen principles and meditation techniques at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility. He volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank in Canby. He also enjoyed playing Santa Claus. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, teacher and friend, who inspired many people who were fortunate enough to share his path.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his sisters Mitzi and Jane; his daughters Kaitlyn, Janine and Julie; his granddaughters Ellie, Violet and Tori; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland, Oregon on August 23rd, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. Memorial gifts can be made to the Dharma Rain Zen Center, the Canby St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank and/ or the OHSU Brain Institute for Parkinson's Research.