John Booth was born in Carlisle, PA, in 1965.  He studied computer science and astronomy at Wesleyan University and UC Santa Cruz.  He found his life’s work in the U.S. Antarctic program where he came to be called Johan.  He worked at Palmer and South Pole Stations as a science technician.  He loved the social life of the South Pole, where a small staff community would fend for itself during the long isolation of dark months.  He loved the physical beauty of the South Pole, where the aurora danced overhead.  He loved the varied science conducted at the Pole, where his intelligence, meticulousness, and curiosity found purpose.  He loved mentoring others in that science.  He loved sharing about Antarctica through countless visits and slide-shows in schools and community settings, and through a celebrated email correspondence chronicling both the social and the scientific aspects of life on the ice.  By the time his Antarctic career concluded he was among a short list of the people who had wintered-over the most seasons.  In the northern hemisphere he cultivated a community of companions from every chapter of his life.  He loved the mountain West with its vistas, its histories, and its opportunities for hiking and biking.  He loved reasoned arguments.  He respected statistics and probability.  He applied his intelligence happily to baseball, the economy, politics, human behavior.  He was a faithful and generous friend who gave freely of his attention and his resources.  He was great at helping you puzzle out a life problem.  He died on his own terms in Washington state in accord with that state’s enlightened Death with Dignity Act.  He is missed by parents, siblings, step-siblings, nieces, a nephew, and cousins.  He is also missed by the grand community of his friends and colleagues.