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I've known John for 38 years and during that time he was my mentor, confidant, reference manual, and my guide through life. He was always there for my family and me, non-judgemental, and supportive. There are many people that he dealt with over the years that feel the same way.

Talking about a guide, I can get lost in my back yard. But snowmobiling with John, he may not have always known exactly where we were, but he always got us to where we were going and at a reasonable time. He went out of his way to make sure all were having a good time. He also always checked to make sure everyone was still with the group. The last few years, John had to cut back on snowmobiling because of his back, and that was not only a loss to him, but also to the rest of us that enjoyed his comraderie and resourcefulness. I mean who needed maps, John was with us.

The projects we worked on together, the trips we took, our weekly conversations of what we did ( or didn't do ) the previous week. The brainstorming on new projects and discussing how he was going to build the next thingamajig. The 'shopping' requests for his next dump trip.or what he ran into on the last dump trip or flea market. etc.

John was an extremely smart person. If I can remember correctly, I think his high school science fair project was a fuel cell. He carefully thought out all angles of his projects. He would also look at others work, figure out how they did it and then improve upon it. Just a super smart guy, but he never came across as a knowitall.

John was also a very humble man. If he had any idea how much of a fuss is being made of him, he'd be extremely embarrased.

John was also an avid marksman. He competed in shoots every weekend during the summer. He'd go all over New Hampshire and even as far away and Pennsylvania to compete. He often finished in the top three in state wide shoots in New Hampshire. He built some of his own guns and usually reloaded his shells. In fact he was working on a single machine that would trim the shells to length, debur them, and clean out the primer hole.

He was a true recycler repurposing all kinds of shtuff into his latest project. He has restored snowmobiles and garden tractors. He's made tractor cabs. taken tractor attachments from one brand of tactor and made it work on another.

I am a huge admirer of John, he was my best friend, and I will miss him very very much.

I could go on and on, but Eric Mortenson is much better with words than I can ever be. He wrote the following:

"When the phone rings you never know what to expect; good news, bad news, or one of those pesky telemarketers. A call today came with bad news. John Livingston, a dear friend to many, passed away this morning after a gallant battle with cancer.

John was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He gave everyone a fair shake, supported noble causes with gusto and listened when you spoke. And when he spoke, all listened. He was a knowledgeable and talented person who loved the outdoors. He was a member of the Merrimack Sno-Buds and the Brookline Ice Breakers. The details of the support he gave to these two clubs and snowmobiling in general could fill a novel. If he wasn’t out cutting trails, he was grooming them so they could be enjoyed by all snowmobilers, as well as other winter sports enthusiats.

John was THE go-to-guy for all things mechanical. If you needed a part, he might have one or knew where to find it. If you needed assistance with your project or repair, he was there to help or had a source that could. He was able to bring new life to old machines and usually had a few restoration projects going that he’d pick away at as time allowed. His latest passion was the restoration of an old Polaris rear-engined snowmobile.

His talents as a fabricator are legendary. He’s fashioned some of the most ingenious and durable trail grooming equipment used in the area. And usually built on a shoestring budget with all sorts of recycled pieces. John saw the usefulness in what others thought was junk.

If you were fortunate enough to spend time riding snowmobiles with him you might have been able to witness his trail-side repair prowess. No matter how catastrophic the situation, John was a key figure in providing a solution that got everyone, and their equipment, back to civilization.

The world has lost one of the GOOD GUYS. God speed, John"