John Paul Patoine, 68 of Walden, VT, passed away peacefully February 23, 2022 at his home with his wife and children by his side. He was born in St. Johnsbury, VT, March 5, 1953 to Henry and Therese (Goyet) Patoine. The second of six children, he grew up in the Danville area.
Upon leaving school, one of his first jobs was working on a farm in Craftsbury, VT. He then helped his father log and eventually traveled to Alaska with some of his uncles to log. After breaking his leg and having to come back to VT, he began logging on his own for several years. During that time he started dating the love of his life, Bonnie, in 1979. They married in 1980 and began their family in Woodbury, VT.
He later went to work at P&R Lumber as a sawyer and lumber grader along with working for the Stowe Polo Club maintaining fences and other odd jobs. He found his calling though in the granite industry working as part of a two man crew at the Hardwick/Mackville quarry. When that closed, he went to work at the Woodbury quarry, eventually managing that for several years. He went on to consult at other quarries in Pennsylvania, Maine, North Carolina, and New Hampshire until he retired in 2019. He was planning on going back to the quarries for the summer until he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in February 2020. In between treatments he worked on projects around his land to stay busy and keep moving.
John lived life as if it were one big adventure never taking things too seriously. He would often say ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’. He once told a story about some of the jokes and pranks he took part in while getting chemo infusions and was asked whether that was appropriate behavior for that setting. His response was ‘why not?!’ He reasoned that that place was too depressing and needed a bit of laughter and fun while he was still here. He was always joking around and got a kick out of making up and singing ditties, leaving others wanting more.
He loved traveling with his wife, especially to Alaska. He would often decide on a whim that they should go for a ride that would, more often than not, end up at a tractor or other equipment for sale somewhere in New England.
He was a man of his word, one of the hardest workers you will ever meet and would help anyone he could. He instilled that work ethic and ‘do your best’ attitude in his children. He didn’t care what his job title was, if something needed to get done, he would do it.
He loved the outdoors and spent a lot of time puttering on tractors or around his land. His face would light up like a little kid on those early cold spring mornings when you can walk across the crust of the snow. His favorite time of year was deer hunting season and he looked forward to hunting with his son at their camp in NY every year. He had tunnel vision for deer come fall and couldn’t think of projects or much else until all the seasons were over. In more recent years, he enjoyed frogging and fishing with his younger grandchildren each summer. His favorite game was cribbage. He didn’t care who you were or how old you were, he was playing to win and if he happened to, you were sure to hear about it for a while.
A phrase he enjoyed reminding his family of was ‘to know me is to love me’ and he was right. He will be forever loved and dearly missed.
John is survived by his devoted and patient wife of nearly 42 years, Bonita; his three children, Renee Fontaine (partner Dan Royer), Heather Cadorette (husband Barry), and Matthew Patoine; his four grandchildren, Mark Fontaine, Brianna Stuart (husband Tony), Payson Cadorette and Ainsley Cadorette; and two great-grandchildren, Tanner Stuart and Nathan Stuart. He is predeceased by his parents and brother, Donald Patoine.
John has requested that there not be a funeral due to Covid. There will be a Celebration of LIfe for him later in the year.
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