John Walton Blodgett, age 82, first child of Walton and Alice (Booth) Blodgett, died at his

home in Montpelier on May 20, 2023. He remained cheerful and kind throughout his long

struggle with prostate cancer.

John was born in New York City and moved with his parents to Stowe Vermont in 1941

where he grew up. He graduated in 1959 from Kimball Union Academy and from

Middlebury College in the mid-60s.

After living in Boston briefly, John returned to Vermont and began work with the State

Department of Transportation. He created the computer program that received and organized

data from highway sensors regarding flow of traffic on Vermont roadways. This system

remained in place until several years ago. John retired in December as the then-oldest state

employee.

While at school, and later, John played music in clubs and colleges in New York and New

England as lead guitarist for Mike & the Ravens. He re-grouped with the band in 2006-2008 to

record new music.

John enjoyed reading and learning on his own, whether languages (classical Greek,

Spanish), science subjects, history or novels. He took birding expeditions to Alaska, Spain,

Florida and states out west with people who became his good friends. He took bicycle trips with

two co-bikers in Quebec, Newfoundland, Spain, Greece, the British Isles and across Europe.,

More recently John became interested in northeastern trees. He traveled around Vermont and

New England to find specimen "champion" trees.

His parents and his sister Claire pre-deceased John. He is survived by his sister Sally of

San Francisco, his brother Stephen and Stephen's wife Jan of Winooski, his nephews Nicholas

Hancock of San Francisco, Gareth Hancock of Alexandria, VA and Galen Blodgett of Essex, VT,

John's nieces Ariel Kiley of Los Angeles and Leda Moloff of Stowe.

There will be a funeral service at Christ Episcopal Church at 64 State Street in Montpelier,

at 10:30 a.m. on Friday June 2, 2023.