On April 17, 2025, Shannon Dale Jones, known as “Shabs” to many, passed away to the other side. Born on August 8, 1969, he was descended from the Yurok villages of Weych-pues, Woh-sekw, Ke-nek, Pek-won, Noch-kue, Woh-ke’-ro, Tue-rep, ‘Es-pew, Mettah, and Rek’-woy; he was also of Wailaki, Sinkyone, and Shasta descent. He was the son of Clifford Gerald “Porky” Jones and Katherine Annette Haight; he was also the grandson of Clifford Nathaniel Jones, Adeline McCovey, Charles Walter Haight, and Maxine Eleanor Bush. He was preceded in death by them, his older sister Christee Annette Jones, his nephew Levi Nelson, and niece Katherine Michelle Jones.

Shannon was raised by “Nan and Gramp”: his great uncle Samuel Jones Jr. and Audrey Jones. He grew up at the old Jones residence at Martins Ferry, the youngest of six children. A graduate of Hoopa Valley High School, class of 1987, Shannon was strong and athletic in his youth; he partook in track, football, and wrestling; for the latter he won the Heavyweight Humboldt-Del Norte League Championship. He excelled as an artist and proved this time and time again throughout his life. In recent years he made his mark on the community with his carvings, specializing in elk horn, and his tattooing.

He is survived by children Michael Jones, Taiya Baldy, Larry Maloney, and Brenda Shell; grandchildren Bridgette Shell, Jasiah Strawn, and Káapihvanach Keyoh Donahue-Maloney; siblings Letitia Jones, Shelly Triplet, Traci Jones, and Casey Jones; niece and nephews Phoenix Jones, Toni Ryan, Nicholas Jones, Clifford Jones, Christopher “Taz” Jones, Ryan Jones, and Jalen Jones; his significant other Tammy Prouty, and innumerable cousins throughout Humboldt and Del Norte Counties – and beyond.

The wake will be held on Sunday, April 27th starting at 5 pm at the Lena Reed McCovey Community Center in Klamath. On Monday, April 28th, there will be a final boat ride at 9 a.m., followed by graveside services at the Crescent City Cemetery at 12 p.m. Reception will follow back in Klamath.

Pallbearers include Michael Jones, Taiya Baldy, Larry Maloney, Brenda Shell, Jalen Jones, Samuel Jones, Harold Jones, Chag-Amin Jones, Nantsvn Jones-Scott, Brandon Jones, and RT Jones.

Honorary pallbearers include Tammy Prouty, Letitia Jones, Shelly Triplet, Traci Jones, Casey Jones, Harold Myers, Janice Jones, Ryan Jones, Marvin Jones, Marva Sii~xuutesna Jones, Barbara Jones, Jack McNertney, Kendra Jones, Louisa Jones, Arthur Jones, Paul Puzz, Clifford Jones, Christopher “Taz” Jones, Nicholas Jones, Johnny Jones, Mike Jones, Larry “Boogs” Jones, Will-Bear Carlson, Ricky Dowd, Bull Calf Donahue, Roger Boulby, Billy Joe Peters, and Tyke Robbins.

Shannon was known for his fierce loyalty, his forthright nature, and his love of his family and tribe. He may not be seen by us in the years to come, but he will remain within us forever.

Robert Douglas Prior died peacefully at his home in Eureka on April 12, 2025 just about a month before his 93 birthday.

He was born in Fresno on May 22, 1932 to Harold and Uarda Prior. The family, including younger sister Carole, would move soon thereafter to Fortuna after Harold’s transfer within Bank of America. They would move, yet again, to Arcata before a final move to Eureka during Bob’s fifth-grade year.

Bob attended Eureka High School, and at one point was elected student body president. His fondest childhood memories centered around the family ranches and working for the family cattle business Tooby & Prior. He loved to be on horseback, gathering and moving cattle, with a particular fondness for the twice yearly trips moving cattle to and from the summer range between Blocksburg and the area surrounding the Lassics. Bob would talk fondly about the wonderful swimming hole located on the Eel River at Ft. Seward, and somewhat less fondly about less glamorous ranch jobs, such as pulling Klamath Weed by hand in the hot summer sun. As a side note to the fruitless efforts to manage Klamath Weed, he recalls a time where he and his father were alongside the road below Blocksburg and devising a plan to pull burning tires behind horses in an attempt to kill the noxious weed. At that time a car pulled up, addressed the pair, and after learning of their battle with Klamath Weed, introduced themselves as Humboldt County officials and said that they had just received a shipment of beetles from Australia that were said to eat and kill Klamath Weed. Klamath Weed was successfully controlled and eventually eradicated from that point forward.

After graduation from Eureka High School, Bob applied and was accepted to Stanford University. It was his intent to go to college, get an education, and return home to begin a career in ranching. He once described that he, at one point as an undergrad, “caught the law bug” and chose to enroll in Stanford Law School. While at Stanford, he roomed for a year with good childhood friend John Morrison, who would later become a locally respected attorney and judge. Bob also had many fond memories of his involvement, while at Stanford, with the SAE fraternity…not likely appropriate to be shared in this format. Final memories of his time at college include his trips home on the train from Stanford to the station in Ft. Seward where he would depart and travel to one of the family ranches to start his summer’s work.

After graduation from law school, Bob quickly joined the United States Army and began his time in the military at Fort Ord in 1957 and finished at Fort Lewis in 1963. During those early years of military service he must have also found the time to study for the upcoming bar exam, and would eventually pass the grueling test and be admitted to the California Bar Association on December 18,1957. Most important during this period of his life, however, would be his marriage to his wife Lois. The two were married for 54 years until Lois’ passing in 2016. Bob once recalled, to a family member, the first time he met Lois was in a math class at Eureka High School, and described her as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Lois brought two children, Joe and Sue Villa, into their relationship. Bob considered Joe and Sue as his own, and acted as their father thereafter. Bob found great pride in all of Joe and Sue’s accomplishments and cherished the times spent throughout the years with them and their families.

In 1968, Bob and Lois welcomed their own child into the world. Chris would become Bob’s sidekick for weekend ranch adventures both in the mountains and locally in the bottoms. The red Toyota Landcruiser was the vehicle most often used for these weekend jaunts, and would frequently make stops to Mr. Swiss for an ice cream or Richard Miller motorcycles to check out the latest bikes.

Bob was both incredibly accomplished, but also a very simple man in so many ways. His distinguished law career spanned 65 years as a partner with the prestigious Huber & Goodwin Law Firm and finally on his own in later years. This incredible professional achievement was balanced in the way he lived his life away from his legal practice. He and long-time Tooby & Prior employee and dear friend Don Wahlund partnered in their own ranching operation for many years. D & B Cattle Company gave Bob a much needed refuge from the busy grind as an attorney … his heart always seemed to be with the ranches. Hunting was also one of his favorite get away activities, with trips to the ranch in Blocksburg, and later Pipe Creek, for deer hunting and frequent pheasant hunting trips with a wonderful group of friends to various clubs in the valley. One of his favorite hunting partners was his father-in-law Herb Bunker. Bob was incredibly close with in-laws Herb and Claudine Bunker. Bob, Lois, and family would spend nearly every holiday at Herb and Claudine’s where cocktail hour went long and the food was amazing. Much later, holiday cooking would be taken over by Chris’ wife Patti. Bob adored Patti in every way, but was particularly enamored with her cooking skills. He loved his many grandkids, and made every attempt to never miss their activities, sports, and rodeos. He also had a favorite weekly lunch group of good friends and was constantly in search of a new restaurant.

Additional achievements include his 46-year membership with the Eureka Rotary that met on Mondays at noon. Bob was a director on the Humboldt County Fair Board for 61 years, up until his passing. He is credited with being the longest-ever standing California Fair Association member, and was board president 1990-1991. He was a long time member of the Ingomar Club and also past president. He was a founding member of the Christine and Jalmer Berg Foundation, founded at the request of longtime client Jalmer Berg.

Bob is preceded in death by his wife Lois, parents Harold and Uarda Prior, son Joe Villa, in-laws Herb and Claudine Bunker, sister-in-law Pat Bunker, sister Carole Launer and her husband Lloyd and also their children Adrianne and Jeff.

Bob is survived by son Chris Prior (Patti), daughter Sue Parfitt (Dennis), daughter-in-law Fran Villa. He is also survived by grandkids, Brooks Parfitt, Grant Parfitt (Anna Joy), Megan Krapf (John), Cameron Villa (Jamee), Nicole Villa (Nate), Blake Villa (Allison), Paden Prior, Parker Prior, great grandchildren Tyler, Poppy, Helena, and Jack. He is also survived by niece Stephanie Launer, and niece Lisa Pulver (Tony) and their children Shannon and Shawn and their respective children.

The family would like to express their gratitude to Bob’s special friend Marsha Daly who entered his life in his final years and provided love and companionship, a relationship that allowed him to remain at home which was something he so dearly wanted.Special appreciation is also extended to longtime friend Carolyn Turner, and Dean Quintrell, “the fishguy.” Finally, the family is eternally grateful to Jack Rice who so eloquently officiated the family graveside service.

Family and friends are invited to attend a celebration of life at the Ingomar Club on Saturday, May 3, between the hours of 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

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

Lettie Faye Oakley left us for Heaven on April 4, 2025, to be with Jesus. She had just turned 101 on March 2, 2025. Her husband, as well as some of her family members and friends were awaiting her there.

Lettie was just a teenager when she left her farm life in Iowa for southern California. She had never been so far from home, but her Aunt Fay asked her to come help care for a niece who was born with special needs. It was there in southern California, a short while later, that Lettie met her future husband, Bob Oakley. Her aunt sneakily asked Lettie to cook dinner for a friend who was coming over, and then disappeared, leaving her alone to eat with her mystery guest, Bob.

The couple married in a private ceremony in June 1941, as World War II loomed on the horizon. The minister and his wife were the only other people present as Bob and Lettie made their vows in the minister’s home. Lettie clutched a bouquet of Cécile Brünner roses. Bob had just completed his time of service with the Navy, but rejoined the military after war broke out that December. He went to work on a classified secret project in Europe that Lettie discovered years later to be aircraft detection radar.

Bob and Lettie were married 47 years before his death from cancer in 1988. They had four children together and lived in Kneeland since the late 1940s. They had already lived in San Diego, Sacramento, and Pennsylvania, but Lettie said that after arriving in Humboldt County, she never wanted to live anywhere else. They attended Eureka First Baptist Church in those early years, and then that church supported the Oakleys’ effort to start a church on Kneeland Mountain. Bob and Lettie were a big part of the community of Kneeland, even suggesting the name “Greenwood Heights Drive,” that is still in use today. Their church, Greenwood Heights Chapel, was a vibrant part of the community for many years, and they made many close friends. When the chapel closed, they became involved in Church of the Highlands, Eureka, where they helped to teach Sunday School before Bob’s passing. Later in her life, Lettie attended Grace Baptist Church in Eureka, which she loved very much. She also continued well into her nineties to be involved from home in occasional projects for Eureka First Baptist Church, preparing crafts for Sunday School classes, helping to prepare women’s retreat materials, and packing shoeboxes for needy children through Operation Christmas Child.

Lettie counted her family as one of her biggest blessings from God. in addition to her four children and their spouses, she deeply loved her 77 grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren—some she had only seen in pictures but still made her smile. She has spent much of her life sewing, doing needlework, growing flowers, cooking amazing meals, and caring for animals and children. Even until the end, she loved to laugh, and to hear and sing songs about Jesus and heaven. She was known for her loving kindness, devotion, gratitude, and grace. She said her only secret for living so long was that God just hadn’t called her home yet!

Some of her family and friends plan to gather at Eureka First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, Alley Entrance, on May 3, 2025, at 11:00 AM for an informal celebration of her life. We want to eat some of her favorite foods, tell stories as we remember them, and have a hymn sing of the songs she loved. The church is located at 422 Del Norte Street in Eureka, CA.

Lettie is buried next to Bob in Sunrise Cemetery in Fortuna. Arrangements were handled by Goble’s Mortuary of Fortuna. Thank you to both organizations for your kind service.

Momma loved studying her Bible, and one of the verses that she is now living out in Heaven is the fulfillment of I Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, ‘Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.’” Enjoy, precious Momma!

Trevlin D. Griffith
May 19, 1959 – April 22, 2025

Born to Janet and Glenn Griffith of Eureka, Trevlin entered the world with style in 1958. He graduated from Eureka High School and went on to graduate from Frederick and Charles Beauty College in the 1970s.

During the 1980s and ‘90s, Trev was the owner of Daly’s Hair Designs (located in Daly’s department store) as well as Serendipity Antiques in Old Town Eureka. He was well known for his exquisite ability to create unique tablescapes and floral arrangements, not just for his own home but also for his friends’ gatherings.

Trev often spent his days off visiting his former clients who had become shut-ins or were in rest homes, still styling their hair to help keep up their spirits. He loved to travel and to entertain, and he was known for his amazing cooking at dinner parties, as well as the beautiful gardens he created wherever he lived. He was a great supporter of local theatre and the arts.

Trev was preceded in death by his parents, brother Mikel and sister-in-law Lani, late partner George Hooper, and husband Gary Thissell, all of Eureka.

He is survived by his sisters Helena Griffith of Eureka and Kat Griffith of Fremont and their families, nephew John Griffith and nieces Samantha Griffith, Carylyn, Judy, and Katie White and their families, and of course his cousins by the dozens located throughout Humboldt County and beyond.

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

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The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors this week decided how to divvy up the first five years of proceeds from a new a new one percent countywide sales tax, which voters approved in November by passing Measure O, the “Humboldt County Roads, 911 Emergency Response Measure.” Eighty-five percent will go toward roads, with the remaining 15 percent going toward transit.

The tax is projected to generate $24 million per year for the county’s General Fund, and officials have publicly committed to spending those revenues on road improvements and public transportation projects, as promised in the measure’s ballot language:

The big debate, since the measure passed, has been: what percentage of those precious revenues should go toward road repairs versus public transit. On Tuesday, after a couple hours of sometimes tense deliberations, the board voted unanimously to approve the 85/15 split.

However, the proceedings left some public transportation advocates crying foul. Here’s why:

The staff report prepared for the matter said a four-fifths supermajority vote was required for the board to pass a motion regarding allocations of Measure O proceeds. However, more than an hour into board deliberations, County Administrative Officer Elishia Hayes said that wasn’t actually the case.

“Technically, for the resolution to pass today … you can get that through with three-two,” Hayes remarked. She said staff wanted the board to reach the higher threshold because this decision was related to the county budget, and future budget revisions and transfers will require a four-fifths vote.

“So we really need your board to be on a 4-1 with this so that we know that we’re in consensus,” Hayes said.

“I wish you would have made that clear earlier,” Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said, “because I was completely under the impression that this needed a four-fifths vote because it’s an allocation of funding.”

The fraction mattered because ideologically, the board fell into two distinct camps in this issue, with First District Supervisor Rex Bohn and Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell wanting to give the lion’s share (as much as 95 percent) of Measure O proceeds to road repairs while Madrone, Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson and Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo said public transit — and the Humboldt Transit Authority, specifically — should get as much as 20 percent.

Madrone’s objection, which was subsequently echoed by Wilson and other public transportation advocates, was that the board majority might have played a bit more hardball in negotiations if they knew they could push their preference through without compromise.

Reached by the Outpost on Friday, Colin Fiske, executive director of the nonprofit Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP), said that while he’s grateful that the supervisors approved a meaningful amount of funding for public transit, they could very well have allocated more if the process had been properly framed from the outset.

“It was clear from the discussion that the majority of supervisors thought it should be more,” he said, “but the incorrect listing of a four-fifths vote requirement slanted the discussion and resulted in a smaller amount for transit. That is very troubling.”

Tom Wheeler, executive director of the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), agreed, saying his organization is “alarmed that the staff repeatedly misrepresented the required vote threshold and seemingly did so in order to make a vote to robustly fund transit more difficult.”

In a statement to the Outpost, Humboldt County Public Information Officer Cati Gallardo confirmed that staff’s recommendations could have been passed by a 3-2 vote. She continued:

However, under Government Code Section 29125, certain transfers and revisions to the adopted budget made after the Budget Hearings require a four-fifths vote. Since such adjustments are common throughout the fiscal year, staff aimed to establish as much consensus as possible during these initial budgeting decisions to prevent conflicts later on.

Because the agenda items related to Measure Z, Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), and Measure O were complex, at times contentious and would directly impact the county’s overall budget and community services in a significant way, the County Administrative Office requested that the Board work toward a higher level of agreement. Achieving a super majority vote of four-fifths helps ensure smoother and more efficient budget administration moving forward.

The wording of this explanation — staff “aimed” to achieve consensus and “requested” a higher level of agreement — still differs from the language of the staff report, which said a four-fifths vote was “required.”

Prior to the board’s deliberations, an ad hoc committee met in February to hash out a recommendation. The committee comprised Wilson, Madrone, Fiske and representatives from the Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG), the Humboldt Transit Authority, the Humboldt Builders’ Exchange, the Building and Construction Trades of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties and the McKinleyville Community Services District.

Their recommendation was to split the first five years of revenue 86/14, roads v. transportation — very close to what the supervisors landed on — while including a one-time contribution of $3 million to a Measure O contingency fund to be used if there’s an economic downturn.

In presenting the item to the board, Deputy County Administrative Officer Sean Quincey noted that the county will have $500 million-worth of road pavement needs over the next five years, and the county’s roads fund is already $7 million in the negative.

Local roads have been in bad shape for years. They’re rated “poor” on the state’s pavement conditions index, and they on track to hit “failed” status by 2033, Quincey said.

During the public comment period, half a dozen people urged the board to give a full 20 percent of proceeds to public transit. Arcata resident Peggy Martinez, for example, said, “You all have constituents that would take the bus if there were [more] buses available.”

The county’s interim auditor-controller, Mychal Evenson, also addressed the board, telling them that the increased financial activity related to Measure O will mean a lot more work for his office.

“I fear that we’re going to see delays in payments,” he said. “Roads invoices are among the most complex that we do.”

Evenson asked that one percent of Measure O revenues be allocated to his own office. Bushnell later excoriated him for making this request at the last minute in a public setting.

“I think you had an opportunity to engage the CAO and this board prior to making public comment today, and it is not necessarily the place to do it right now,” Bushnell said. “I don’t appreciate that coming out of public comment time at all.”

Still, as noted above, most of the board’s discussion centered on how to split the revenues over the next five fiscal years. Arroyo, who serves as chair of the Humboldt Transit Authority’s board of directors, said that agency serves an average of 40,000 passengers per month. She also noted that 21 percent of county residents are seniors and 19 percent are disabled.

Arroyo also advocated for giving a portion of any excess revenues above projections to transit, rather than having them go entirely to roads.

Bohn, on the other hand, said most of the people he’s spoken with — including many backers of Measure O — haven’t mentioned bus service at all, whereas he hears all the time from constituents complaining about the condition of county roads. He said he’d like to give just 10 percent of Measure O proceeds to transit, “but I don’t know if that would fly.”

Wilson, like Madrone, was a bit thrown by the revelation that a four-fifths supermajority was not required. He said he came into the meeting with a goal of getting transit’s share up to 16 percent, but later split the difference between that and the staff recommendation, requesting 15 percent.

Following a bit of debate over how to allocate any excess funds above revenue projections, Bushnell made an impassioned argument for giving most of it to roads, given the existing budget deficit and the season-dependent scheduling of road maintenance projects.

“I just really, really, really have to advocate that we’re in a mess in the roads department fiscally,” she said. “Can we please give some money to the roads department to try to make up for their issues right now?”

The motion that finally passed unanimously, offered by Madrone with a little tweak proposed by Quincey, was a bit complex. In addition to the 85/15 split, it called for:

• Public Works to aim for spending five percent of its allocations on Complete Streets measures;
• staff to develop a plan for providing help to the Auditor-Controller’s Office;
• the anticipated $6 million in revenue generated during the current fiscal year (through June 30), plus all future revenue in excess of the projected $24 million per year to be split 50/50, with half going toward road projects while the other half goes toward retiring the debt in the roads division until that debt is paid off; and
• after that, all excess proceeds to be be split 85/15, roads v. transportation.

Again, that motion passed 5-0. Measure O’s passage brought Humboldt County’s cumulative sales tax rate up to 8.75 percent. The sales tax rates in Humboldt’s incorporated cities range from 9.5 percent (Ferndale, Rio Dell, Trinidad and Fortuna) to 10.25 percent (Eureka and Arcata). Blue Lake’s is 9.75 percent.

Below is a list of the key needs identified for both roads and transit in the county’s unincorporated areas.

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This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.

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