John Walsh, formerly from Sandwich and Waltham MA, passes away Sunday, May 2, 2021 at the VA Medical Center in Cincinnati OH.

In Oct of 1941 John was born in Canada and was named Jean-Claude Rene Ayotte. At the age of 2 he was adopted by a family in Salem MA and took his adopted father’s name. He became a naturalized citizen in the early 1960s in order to join the military. He served for 6 years in the Army Reserves and the Navy.

John left the service and worked for several years at Boeing in Philadelphia where he was instrumental in designing a drill that for drilling holes in plexiglass that minimized cracking.

John moved to Cape Cod and opened Walsh Refrigeration in Sandwich MA. He serviced the needs of the restaurant and stores throughout the Cape for almost 10 year. Then he moved to Waltham MA and worked for various HVACR companies in the area.

John moved with his wife, Jobie DeVinney-Walsh, to Charleston, WV to care for her mother, who was suffering with Alzheimer. He began working for Trade Rep, a Cleveland OH based manufacturer’s rep firm. Then, in 2001 he established Training for the Trades, a company dedicated to providing training to HVAC technicians and contractors. For more then 16 years John traveled from coast to coast and border to border training heat load calculations and the Elite Software’s RHVAC program. He liked to tell family, friends and colleagues that, “when I was in the Navy I got to visit 28 countries of the world, and with Training fir the Trades I got to see and work in most of the lower 48 states.”

Those knew John, know that he never met a stranger. He could strike up a conversation with anyone and become friends quickly. He will also be remember for his sense of humor, his joy with life, and his loyalty and caring for others.