John H. Poole of Lyndonville passed away Monday, April 23, 2012, at the age of 87. John was born in St. Johnsbury, Vt., on April 29, 1924, the son of Charles and Della (McDowell) Poole, graduating from the St. Johnsbury Academy in 1942. He served in the Navy during WWII from March 1943 through March 1946. He was a lifetime member of the DAV, VFW, and American Legion. John's primary occupation was being a distribution salesman for Humpty Dumpty and, before that, for Grand Union. He later operated his own heating company, John's Burner Service, for 25 years. Many may remember John's prolific letter writing with his letters to the editor published in The Caledonian-Record. His strong opinions led to the suggestion he run for the position of selectman for the town of St. Johnsbury, a position he served for one term. He and Mary raised their family in the home his father built as a family farm off John Street in the Arlington neighborhood of St. Johnsbury. John had a strong sense of patriotism which formed the values he held dear. He was a hard-working man, often holding two to three jobs at times. John was a big fan of Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan, was a great reader, and enjoyed boating. He was predeceased by his wife Mary (Arroyo) on Jan. 29, 2007, whom he missed every day, and their oldest child Gary in 1990. Also his siblings Charlie, Francis, Dot and Helen. He is survived by three children: twins Diane Murphy of Danville and Michael Poole of St. Johnsbury, James Poole of Redwood City, Calif.; 3 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; brother Philip Poole of Orlando, Fla.; nieces and nephews including a special nephew, Stephen Poole, whom he helped raise. A funeral mass will be celebrated this Thursday, April 26, at 1 p.m. at St. Elizabeth's Church in Lyndonville. Burial with military honors will follow at the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in St. Johnsbury. There will be no visiting hours. Memorial contributions could be directed to Vermont Veterans Fund, 118 State St., Montpelier VT 05620-4401.