John Thaxton: Author, 46er, and Pun-Master General (1949–2026)

John Thaxton—a man who could spot a rare warbler as easily as he could craft a perfect sentence—took his final hike on February 20, 2026. He was 77.

From the Bronx to the Backwoods

Born in the Bronx on January 25, 1949, John was the quintessential product of the New York City public school system—and an undisputed star. A "scholar-athlete" before the term was trendy, he dominated the junior high basketball court while simultaneously sweeping the Mayor’s Citation, the Yearbook Award, and the Language Arts Citation. His intellect led him through the halls of The Bronx High School of Science and CCNY, where he earned a degree in Literature. From a young teen, he also had a lifelong obsession with photography.

A Whirlwind Romance & The Great Escape

In 1979, John met Pat (Havens). In a testament to their decisive natures, they were married just three months later. While they started their life in a small Manhattan apartment—Pat running a hospital lab in Brooklyn and John navigating the world of NYC publishing—their hearts were already in the High Peaks.

Eventually, they traded the subway for the summits. They built their dream home in the Adirondacks, where Pat found her work in a nearby hospital and John realized the ultimate dream: writing and editing from the middle of the woods. Together, they climbed all 46 High Peaks (each over 5,000 feet) multiple times, embracing every season from spring bird-banding to mid-winter cross-country skiing.

A Life in Print

John was a prolific author of non-fiction, a frequent contributor to Condé Nast Traveler, author of a book series about Bed & Breakfast locations in various parts of the country, and he was perhaps most beloved for his long-standing monthly Birdwatch column in Adirondack Explorer Magazine. He had a flair for capturing the natural world that made readers feel they were standing in the brush right beside him. He was a frequent lecturer on birding and he and Pat both held leadership positions within the Audubon Society, traveling to find the next rare sighting. They catalogued at least a couple of thousand different bird species over the years. They both formally became scouts and formed Adirondack Birding Tours where they conducted unique experiences in the mountains that had become their home.

Wit, Poetry, and "Frontal Lobotomies"

John was a man of high intellect and even higher standards. He was known for a sharp wit and a personal style that could, on occasion, "shock" the uninitiated—though that friction almost always melted into endearment. He often recited poetry, but his most frequent twist on words perfectly summed up his worldview:

"I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."

While John and Pat chose not to have children of their own, they became the legendary "Aunt Pat and Uncle John" to a generation of their friends' children, teaching them the grit of camping and the magic of the wild.

John did charitable work on behalf of Happiness Is Camping, a camp for children with cancer in Hardwick, NJ. He was the President of the Board of Directors and contributor to fund drives, utilizing his prolific writing skills to raise money for this worthy charity.

John spent his final year in Florida where he moved to be near his friends Nancy & Scott. Nancy was Pat's childhood friend.

The Final Migration

John is reunited at last with his favorite birding partner, Pat (d. 2023), and his younger brother, Dr. Tom Thaxton. He is survived by his youngest brother, Danny Thaxton, nephew Robert Freeman, and a circle of other "ride-or-die" friends spanning his entire life: Barry & Lil, Marshall & Becky, and Pam & Jay.

In Lieu of Flowers it is requested that donations be made to the National Audubon Society in the names of Pat & John Thaxton, so that the birds they loved so much might continue to fly.