John Prevost
December 14, 1940 -January 1, 2023

John Prevost of Fortuna passed away on January 1 surrounded by family. John was the first of six children born in Kansas City, Missouri to James and Kathleen Prevost. He is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Deborah Prevost, his daughter Kathleen (Kevin) Moisan, son John Prevost, stepdaughter Cortney Prevost Clendening (Ron Bissell), his granddaughter Clare Moisan, grandsons John Prevost and Elijah Clendening, siblings Rita Smith (John), Jim Prevost (Kay), Tom Prevost (Helen), and Helen Prevost and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Cecilia Prevost.

John graduated from high school at 15 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 17. While in the Navy he attended North Carolina State earning a degree in electrical engineering. He served on diesel and nuclear submarines for most of his career. He was one of the first enlisted men to make the transition to officer on a nuclear submarine. On one patrol, his submarine docked in Humboldt Bay and he fell in love with the area. He retired from the Navy in 1978 as a Lieutenant Commander.

After leaving the Navy, he worked at Lockheed in Sunnyvale during which time he also earned his MBA from Pepperdine. He married Debbie in 1983 and they moved to Fortuna in 1984. He worked at the Ultrapower power plant in Blue Lake before his 17-year employment with Pacific Lumber Co., where he was an Assistant Superintendent of the power plant and Director of Environmental Services. He retired in 2003.

In 1990, John was elected to the Fortuna City Council and served for four years. During his time on the City Council, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the California League of Cities. He also served on the Fortuna Planning Commission for several years.

John spent his years of retirement doing many of his favorite things. He was an avid reader and particularly enjoyed reading historical fiction about European naval wartime. He was a devoted family man who especially loved telling stories from his time in the Navy, a competitive game of darts, cribbage, dominoes, backgammon, and a good shake of the dice with his wife, kids, grandkids, or friends. John and Debbie created great memories spending a month in the British Isles, visiting New England in the fall, and touring National Parks in Utah to name a few of their travel destinations.

John loved his family and friends and will be missed.

Per his final wishes, John will be buried at sea in a committal service performed on a United States Navy vessel while deployed.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of  John Prevost’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.