John “Johan” F. Booth ’86, MA’86

John “Johan” F. Booth ’86, MA’86 passed away on June 29, 2022. His brother, David Booth, shared the following obituary:

John Booth ’86 died June 29, 2022. Early in 2021, John experienced
odd symptoms—phantom smells, brief episodes of loss of balance, brief
episodes of difficulty word finding.  In April, an MRI revealed a mass
in his brain. This turned out to be a glioblastoma, an aggressive and
almost invariably fatal brain tumor. John underwent surgery to remove
much of the tumor. Radiation and chemotherapy followed with the aim
of slowing regrowth of the tumor. During eight weeks of radiation
therapy John stayed with his Wesleyan friend Bill Belt and family in
Philadelphia. Treatment allowed him about a year to enjoy old
friendships before the tumor began to progress once again. Early on,
John resolved that he did not want to endure a terrible final illness,
nor did he want to prolong his life through burdensome interventions.
Thankfully, the law in Washington State, his longtime legal residence,
provides for the possibility of “death with dignity,” or physician-
attended death. He took the final medicine on the morning of
Wednesday, June 29.  His final words revealed neither anxiety nor
doubt: “Cheers” (as he lifted the cup), “Jesus!” (as he encountered
the bitter taste), and “well, here we go” (as he began to get drowsy).
A hospice nurse said she had never served a patient who seemed more at
ease in their final repose. John donated his body to the medical
school of Washington State University, where it will serve medical
education.

John studied computer science and astronomy at Wesleyan and later at
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 slideshows 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.
Confronted with an absurd and terrible diagnosis, he lived and died on
his own terms. He is missed by parents, siblings, stepsiblings,
nieces, a nephew, and cousins. He is also missed by the grand
community of his friends and colleagues, including friends from
Wesleyan. Memories are being collected at GatheringUs.com.
https://www.gatheringus.com/memorial/john-johan-booth/9381