John Baldwin passed away in his home on April 1, 2023. A private person by nature, John w as amusing, with a dry, subtle and sometimes sarcastic sense of humor. His official passing date was April Fool’s Day — coincidence perhaps? John was a “car guy,” an avid hill-climb car racer, a skier, a techie and a cat lover. As a New Yorker magazine junkie, he always kept a dictionary open to support his crossword puzzle habit. He was a good friend and neighbor who paid attention to the world and created his own unique place in it.

John was born in St. Johnsbury, Vt. His ancestors were some of the first pilgrims to settle in Vermont, and he was very proud of his heritage. In fact, he even named his cat Miss America.

After his 1964 graduation from St. Johnsbury Academy, he joined the Air Force and was trained as a medical equipment engineer and was assigned to Pakistan and Afghanistan. He attained the level of staff sergeant, and he continued to hone his mechanical and technical skills. Upon his return, John settled in Burlington, where he became part of an eclectic social circle of friends, who still get together more than 50 years later.

In 1971, the Agency for International Development (AID) hired him to go to Vietnam to repair hospital X-ray equipment. After returning to Burlington, he became the traveling X-ray technical equipment engineer for a network of hospitals in Vermont and the North Country area of New York. In the 1980s, he again went overseas as a civilian technical engineer to Saudi Arabia. We're not sure how he found a way to live in a “no women, no alcohol” country, since he loved both. However, he did report that he managed to volunteer to chauffeur important women — who were not allowed to drive — to their various destinations.

In 1996, he moved to the wooded hills of West Danville, where he found the serenity he craved. As such, he was quite the MacGyver, having designed a system to power his home from car batteries and solar panels. Quite ingenious! He also adapted to the challenges and limitations of a long, seasonally impassable access road. John lived where he most wanted to be, in his beautiful parcel of paradise, with his cat and his crosswords. John lived his life true to his values, and he will be greatly missed. He is survived by his brother, Karl, and three nieces, Gretchen, Erika and Karin.

His celebration of life will be announced in the coming weeks.