John B. Nute

John B. Nute Jr. (Jack), 67, of Enfield, CT. passed away at home on Tuesday, February 23rd, after a long battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his loving family. Jack was the second child of Brig and Bevalie Nute and was born and raised in a multigenerational home in Littleton, NH. In the 1970's he made the 3+ hour trip down Interstate 91 for a job interview and began his career at Combustion Engineering shortly after that, sticking with them through their various iterations (ABB, Westinghouse, etc.) and retiring after 45 years. Even in retirement, he stayed in touch with the many friends he made over those cubicle and office walls. In 1983 Jack married Melody Brown. Together they spent 37 happy years bringing up their three children: Peter, Sarah, and Molly. One friend described Jack as a superhero – and that he was. Jack rallied many times during his 12-year illness and was able to do the things he loved. Jack was a gardener. He kept and maintained both vegetable and flower gardens. He was also a collector of postcards, playing cards, and memorabilia from his childhood, and spent many Saturday mornings at flea markets in Bethlehem, NH, at the Sinclair Lot selling his wares with his mother-in-law Muriel Brown. They made an excellent albeit frustrating team as neither of them really wanted to sell anything. He was a pack leader (392), a PTO president, a Girl Scout dad, and a member of ECC. He loved walks on the beach, creating Halloween fun for the neighborhood, playing games with friends, was a voracious reader of crime fiction, and never passed up an opportunity to catch reruns of shows he'd been watching for the better part of 30 years. Jack kept ice cream companies in business. Not a day went by that he didn't have coffee ice cream with a scoop of peanut butter. Following in the tradition of his father he made ice cream for reunions, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and entire classrooms of sugar-crazed students. He did not let his health issues stop him from going out and enjoying life and helping others in need, and found small ways to comfort people going through the same issues he was facing. Jack never went for an appointment without bringing his own baked goods to share with others. Despite his struggles he always put his family first. He was able to enjoy his children's weddings. His last ray of sunshine was the birth of his first grandchild, Melody Rose. Throughout his life, Jack spent a lot of his time at Forest Lake at the family camp. He loved working on the place with his brother Dana and bringing family and friends to the camp, recalling with a great sense of pride the history of the camp, the lake, and all those that lived on its waters. In memory of Jack, donations can be made in his name to the Forest Lake Association, PO Box 354, Whitefield, New Hampshire 03598. Yes, Jack was a superhero. After all, superheroes live on in our minds and hearts forever, as Jack will. He leaves his wife Melody; his son Peter and wife Samantha; daughter Sarah and wife Tabatha; daughter Molly and husband Matt; granddaughter Melody Rose; his sister Mary Beth; his brother Dana and wife Tammy; the beloved Brown family; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. A celebration of Jack's life will be held in the spring. Date and time to be announced.