Joseph Gerard Luther
December 8, 1957 – November 27, 2025

Joseph “Joe” Gerard Luther passed away peacefully at his home in McKinleyville, California on November 27th at 8:52 PM, surrounded by his family. He was truly one of a kind — funny, rebellious, warm-hearted and unforgettable. His genuine smile and irreverent humor lit up every room, and many of his family’s most cherished memories feature him turning up the music, cracking a ridiculous joke, or bringing levity to even the most ordinary moments. And at the center of it all was the role he cherished most: being the father of three wonderful kids.

Born in Sacramento at Mercy Hospital to Clarice Marie Joyer and Joseph Edward Luther, Joe grew up in East Sacramento as the youngest of twelve siblings — an upbringing that no doubt shaped his loud voice, quick movements and strong opinions. He attended Sacred Heart Elementary and Christian Brothers High School, served as a neighborhood paperboy for many years, worked on a fishing boat in Alaska and later attended Chico State College, where he explored a wide range of interests. Though he never pursued a degree, he remained a lifelong learner, devouring science fiction novels (especially Isaac Asimov), watching the NASA channel and marveling at the universe. He passed his curiosity on to his children, who all excelled academically, and he beamed with pride at each of their college graduations.

In his travels through California, Joe often told the story of the time he fell asleep on a train and woke up far beyond his stop — a mishap he turned into yet another adventure. That detour eventually led him to Santa Monica, where he famously cruised the boardwalk on roller skates in his Daisy Dukes. Roller-skating is also how he met his future wife, Helen, on Halloween in 1979. She was a duck, he was a disco king, and their unlikely pairing blossomed into 45 years of marriage.

Joe and Helen moved to Humboldt County shortly after and he began working at a woodshop in Blue Lake before joining the fledgling Mad River Brewery as its third employee. He worked as the cellar manager for nine years and took great pride in keeping the cellar spotless and the beer flowing. Those years were filled with redwood campouts, bike rides, brewery parties and memories his family still treasures. He later worked in various labor roles at Mad River Hospital and spent many years as a courier throughout the county.

Joe worked hard for a living, eventually sustaining a severe back injury at the brewery. Even as his work life slowed, he found contentment in reading books, tending the garden, watching TV, spending time with his family and Great Pyrenees dogs and offering affectionate grumbles about the world around him.

Joe and Helen built their McKinleyville homestead, lovingly known as “LutherLand,” over the course of 38 years. It became the backdrop of his children’s upbringing — a place filled with dirt-under-the-fingernails adventures, slip’n’slide wipeouts, Evel Knievel bike jumps, riverside summers and azalea-lined springs. They also created a refuge not just for their own children, but for the community of kids around them. LutherLand became the unofficial hangout spot, full of music, bonfires, laughter and the kind of teenage parties people still reminisce about today.

Kids and dogs adored Joe — they seemed to sense his gentle, playful spirit. The way he raised his three kids — to be kind, giving, inquisitive, adventurous souls — speaks to the essence of who he was. He valued knowledge and learning deeply. He read to them every evening growing up, including the entire Lord of the Rings and Little House on the Prairie series. In many ways, he dreamed of giving them a Little House-style upbringing, and he nearly pulled it off (minus Pa’s fiddle solos and the prairie bonnets).

Joe believed deeply in real-life learning. When Julia Butterfly Hill came down from her redwood tree, he pulled his kids out of school to attend her rally, determined to instill in them a fierce environmental ethic, a lesson that took root and stayed with them for life. He also encouraged caring for their community, often rallying his kids to pick up trash along their streets and beaches.

He was outspoken and fiercely protective of his family — never hesitating to yell at a coach if his kids weren’t getting enough playtime, tell teachers that backpacks were too heavy, or march into the principal’s office with neighborhood trash to make a point. He lived by the motto: “If no one else will say it, I will.”

Music was one of Joe’s greatest loves. He bought a Fender Stratocaster he never quite learned to play but passed down to his daughter like it was Excalibur — a gift she treasures deeply. His record collection was legendary: Jimi Hendrix tearing through the speakers, the Grateful Dead drifting like incense through the rooms, Led Zeppelin shaking the walls, Bob Marley settling everyone’s spirits, Fleetwood Mac floating through sunlit afternoons and Stevie Wonder, Neil Young and Cat Stevens, among many others, wrapping the whole house in warmth and soul. Meanwhile, teenage Heather blasted Eminem and bass-heavy tracks from her car, prompting many good-natured debates about what did or did not qualify as “real music.”

Joe also came from a family of letter-writers and was himself a thoughtful, witty, and perceptive writer. His loved ones often remarked that he could have been an author — or a lawyer, given his love of spirited debate.

Joe is survived by his wife of 45 years, Helen Luther; his daughter Heather Luther; his sons Brandon Luther and Stevie Luther; his granddaughter Alana Luther; his siblings Theresa, Patrice, Margaret, Rose, Fran and Steve; and a wide circle of cousins, nieces, and nephews who loved him dearly. He is preceded in death by his parents and several siblings who passed before him.

He wasn’t perfect, but he was real — vivid, loyal, stubborn, hilarious, thoughtful and endlessly human. He leaves behind a family who adored him and a world made better, funnier and stranger because he was in it.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, you consider donating to Hospice of Humboldt.

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Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar
When I put out to sea.

— Tennyson

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The bar that Tennyson wrote of was metaphorical, but habitués of early day Humboldt Bay had a multiplicity of bars they could encounter that were all real and all — at least occasionally — dangerous.

Those that threatened Humboldters most frequently were not on the high seas, but in Eureka’s Old Town, where bars of the bibulous variety spelled peril for both the unwary and for those who sought it. Loggers were the biggest seekers, arriving Saturday nights on the “Whiskey Specials” — logging trains that took the “freshly scrubbed, beargreased” woodsmen from their worksites in the tall timber to First Street, depositing them by the tracks like so many loads of freshly felled redwood. From there, the intemperate pleasure seekers made their way saloonward, some faltering at the Fairwind, comer of First and F, or at the Snug, which snuggled next to Snug Alley just up F Street.

Those with greater capacity or determination managed to stroll or stagger all the way to Second Street — the “Deuce” — where liquor dispensaries like the Louvre waylaid most of the rest. The Louvre, now respectably reincarnated as a rare and used bookstore [Eureka Books — Ed.], used its architecture to entice the clientele to purchase more than drinks. The second-story balcony, still present, was situated in such a way that when a libation-minded logger tilted back his first schooner of beer, his line of sight would rise to just the angle necessary to view an enticing bit of ankle displayed above him by one of the Louvre’s lubricious ladies, thus alerting him there were more satisfactions available than that of merely quenching his thirst.

Some saloon patrons chose less costly pursuits, of which the barroom brawl was the most frequent. Here the aim was to avoid catching a case of “loggers’ smallpox,” the frequently found facial scarring caused not by a virus, but by the punctures that resulted from a stomping inflicted by an opponent wearing calk boots. Another pastime was attempting to stride atop the bar counter from end to end while equipped with such spike-soled footwear, as both bystanders and the barkeep tried (often with success) to knock the contestant to the floor.

A 1909 survey counted sixty-five saloons in Eureka, their corrupting effects abetted by thirty-two “houses of shame.” The bar tally had dropped to fifty-three in 1916, and it officially fell to zero three years later, with the start of Prohibition. Alcohol was still available along the Deuce, of course, but now it was found only in back rooms or behind closed doors.

It was not until April of 1933 that the suds flowed freely again. Barely had the shot glasses been broken out before shots of a different sort disquieted the Louvre. Its co-owners, Fred Carter and Tom Slaughter, had been bickering about the business for some time, when, on the evening of June 3, they commenced arguing in the Louvre’s lavatory. A pair of shots rang out and Slaughter ran for the back door. Carter, hard hit, fired a bullet at his fleeing associate; it missed and struck the door casing instead. Carter then staggered out into Opera Alley, where he shot once again at Slaughter as he dashed into the adjacent High Lead’s rear entrance. Carter then made his way back into the Louvre, to be attended by the bartender, C. L. Hoffman, as he died.

Slaughter’s subsequent trial was front-page news as his attorney called thirty-eight witnesses to prove that he’d perforated his partner in self-defense, while the prosecution placed most of its money on a single star witness, William Samuels, who was in the alley at the time of the shootout. Samuels’ effectiveness, however, was limited by his being blind, and, after some eight hours of deliberation, the jury failed to find Slaughter, despite his name, guilty of even manslaughter.

A block up Second Street, the Oberon Saloon seldom saw such unseemly behavior. An “exclusive” establishment that always offered an assortment of cold cuts to its patrician patrons, it attracted Jack London one evening in June of 1911, when the novelist was traveling up the coast.

Also attending the Oberon that night happened to be Pat Murphy, a strapping young college grad who’d come west to see his brother, Stanwood Murphy Sr., the president of the Pacific Lumber Company. Murphy and London began to talk. It soon became apparent that Pat, the ultraconservative Republican brother of a leading local lumber baron, found little to agree with in the pronouncements of one of the country’s most passionate proponents of Socialism. Seeing trouble brewing, attorney H. L. Ricks attempted to persuade Murphy to leave. His entreaties were disregarded.

Murphy later indicated that he had never started a fight in his life but had also never run from one once it started.

He didn’t run now when London, apparently deciding the fist was mightier than either pen or sword, punched him. Murphy not only stood his ground, but also eventually landed a solid left that briefly dropped London to the floor. The author subsequently departed Eureka with a better reputation for his writing than his right hooks.

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This week on the Econews Report, we’re joined by Marc Hoshovsky and Bob Schneider, two of the authors of the new book Exploring the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, which will be published early next year by Backcountry Press.

Never heard of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument? It’s an incredibly strange stretch of land, with absolutely unique geologic and botanical features, that stretches down from Lake County to Napa County. The land is part of a subduction zone that was thrown up from the deep ocean to the mountains, and as such it’s made mostly of minerals and rock types that you’re not likely to find many other places.

On top of that, the region has a rich and unique history that encompassed some 31 different Native American groups … and terrible acts of genocide at the hands of European settlers.

Check out this conversation, then check out the book, and you’ll almost certainly want to check out the Berryessa/Snow Mountain area on your next hiking trip.

LINKS:

• Exploring the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument at Backcountry Press.
• The monument’s Wikipedia page.
• The monument’s page at the Bureau of Land Management.

Wendy Morton Moon was born July 16, 1961, in Eureka and died on November 29, 2025, at home in Hoopa. Wendy was enrolled in the Hoopa Valley Tribe, and was of Karuk, Hupa and Yurok descent. Wendy was raised in Hoopa and Arcata.

Wendy’s fondest memories were of growing up on the Salmon River with her Gramma Bessie Tripp in the summer times. No lights, outhouse, good food, and good people. Wendy was married to Gerald Moon for 20 years. In that time, she worked at the valley schools and was a part of so many children’s lives. She always spoke up for the little ones when they could not speak for themselves. Wendy was very intelligent. Wendy loved children. Her grandchildren were her world. She loved to play pool, she loved good music, and man she could drive. With the very first car for her to be known for being a yellow corvette it goes without saying Wendy was pretty cool.

If you knew Wendy, you were blessed because she was the realist of the real and you knew there was no b.s. when it came to her. She was kind and giving and always helping anyone who asked. After working at the school, then as an EMT, the next chapter in life focused on manual labor and being outside every day. She worked for the AmeriCorps program for the full six years and it was the best time in her life. She always said she loved that job. Wendy built her own house. She was strong and resilient. Wendy was a spiritual person. She believed in dreams, she believed in spirits, she believed in Indian way. She helped her elders even as she began to become one herself. She was always a hard worker. One of Wendy’s famous quotes was “I just wanna be fucking happy.”

Wendy was preceded in death by her son Walter Hayes Moon, father Walter H. Morton (Sr.), brother Wayde James Morton, maternal grandparents Edward and Virginia Marshall, Jr., her paternal grandmother Louise (Tripp) Rails, and great grandmother Bessie (Jacobs) Tripp. There were many other people that came through Wendy’s life she would often remember fondly.

Wendy is survived by her children Kara Moon, Rosella Moon and Charlie Moon and his wife Cassidy (Lane) Moon, their children, Pearl Moon, Solo Sylvia, Jack Sylvia, Pauiila Colegrove, Chok Cook, Charlie Hayes Moon and Walter James Moon. Wendy is also survived by her mother Roxanne Burgess, brother Allen Burgess and sister Jennifer Burgess and her partner Justin Childs; brother Wally Morton (Jr.) his wife Brandy and their children Tristan, Nanya and Walter III. Wendy is also survived by her aunts Jennifer Singleton and Delma Powell, and uncle Victor Starritt.

Wendy’s family will be holding a graveside service at the Tripp Family Cemetery in Somes Bar on Monday, December 8, 2025, at 11 a.m. with a meal and sharing to follow at the Karuk Department of Natural Resources Office in Orleans.

Honorary pall bearers are Allen and Mike Burgess, Solo Sylvia, Jack Cruz Sylvia, Justin Childs, Rick Sanderson, Johnny Garisson, Jake Tripp, Bill Tripp, Wally Morton Jr., Walter Morton III, George Moon, Ed Masten, Timothy Perry Sr., Kevin Latham, Kevin Latham Jr., Jamie Melendy, Jeff, Brian and Chuck Singleton, Elton Baldy, Kevin Orcutt, Stevie Sanderson, Tahn and Mawahche Blake, Thomas Joseph, Kevin Rowland, Denny Colegrove, Bob Campbell, Sam Jones, and Little Gerald Moon Jr.

Special thanks to Tory and Toni Morton, Mary Nelson, Nora Conway, Christine Lucas, Lovae Blake and Tek-Wes McCovey during this difficult time. In all eras of Wendy’s life, she loved and cherished many students, friends and family members. Wendy’s family appreciates all the memories and love you gave Wendy over the years, and welcome those who can send her home to be with her Walter.

Arrangements are provided by Goble’s Mortuary and Garcia’s Florist of Fortuna.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Wendy Moon’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

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PREVIOUSLY

• The County Wants to Purchase the Eureka K-Mart and Turn it Into a ‘One-Stop Permitting Center’

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A Bay Area commercial developer has reached a deal to sell Eureka’s vacant former Kmart property to mega-retailer Walmart, according to emails with city staff.

The emails, obtained through a California Public Records Act request, reveal that over the past year, current property owner McNellis Partners entertained a few different proposals for the eight-acre site, located at 4325 Broadway Street. The firm fielded interest from Tractor Supply Company, Alder Grove Charter School and the County of Humboldt before agreeing to a deal with Walmart.

The county, as we reported back in September, had hoped to retrofit the empty “Big K” warehouse, most recently home to cannabis company Papa & Barkley, into a collection of planning and building offices, creating a hub to serve as a “one-stop permitting center.”

Real estate developer John McNellis. | Image via LinkedIn.

But after agreeing to sell the property to the county for $5.75 million, McNellis Partners owner and principal John McNellis (pictured at right) suddenly and unexpectedly backed out of the deal, according to the emails we reviewed.

Shortly before noon on October 11, just three days before the Eureka Planning Commission was scheduled to conduct a conformance review for the acquisition, McNellis emailed county officials to say the deal was off.

“A retailing prospect has arisen for our property which, in our sincere belief, would be much better for the community as a whole than filling it with government offices,” his email said.

The Humboldt County Planning Commission was scheduled to consider approving the sale the following week, but McNellis asked county staff to put its approval process on hold and remove the hearing from its meetings calendar. 

McNellis had emailed Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery just a few minutes earlier, revealing the identity of his retailing prospect.

“We came to terms with Walmart late yesterday afternoon,” McNellis wrote. He acknowledged that “it will be a long way from that handshake to a closing” and urged Slattery to keep the deal a secret.

“[W]ould you and your staff please please not mention that Walmart is our retailer prospect…until Walmart publicly files for its initial approvals[?],” he beseeched. “Walmart values its privacy and we have found that city approvals go much more smoothly if we identify our major tenants at the last possible moment. Every tenant has its detractors within communities.”

Indeed, Eureka residents have a history of resisting the world’s largest retailer. The Arkansas-based company wanted to build one of its megastores on the waterfront “Balloon Track” property, but a pitched public battle ended in defeat for Walmart when Eureka voters rejected a rezoning measure at the ballot box.

More than a decade later, Walmart managed to sneak through the backdoor of the Bayshore Mall, taking over a space that had been vacated by the Gottschalks. Its grand opening was celebrated by dancing mascots and blessed by a local pastor.

The mall store is smaller than one of Walmart’s super-centers, and it’s unclear whether the company would keep that location if it opens a new one. Nor is it clear what Walmart has planned for the Kmart property, though emails reference the company’s desire to tear down the existing building.

In response to a request for comment for this story, a Walmart spokesperson emailed the following non-statement: “We’re always looking for opportunities to better serve our customers and communities. We have no additional information to share at this time.”

McNellis has not responded to voicemails and emails from the Outpost.

Slattery, Eureka’s city manager, told us that the deal is still on, as far as he knows, though he noted that the due diligence period will be followed by an escrow period.

Other emails released by the city show McNellis consulting with Slattery regarding potential permitting issues. A portion of the property, including about 20 percent of the existing building, sits in the coastal zone. The city manager warned McNellis that any new development onsite could trigger extra review and permitting requirements from the California Coastal Commission. He recommended that Walmart rebuild in the existing Kmart footprint, rather than demolishing the old store to make way for a new one.

But Slattery later informed McNellis that he’d been mistaken: The property is categorically exempt from needing a coastal development permit [CDP] for principally permitted uses.

“Since a grocery store is principally permitted in your property’s zoning district, there would be no need for a CDP for demolition or construction for a grocery store,” Slattery informed McNellis in an October 10 email.

Does that mean Walmart plans to build a grocery store there, rather than one of its superstores? The company owns and operates dozens of so-called Walmart Neighborhood Markets across California, and Slattery’s emails repeatedly refer to plans for a grocery store. (When we spoke with him, he declined to address the company’s specific plans, instead referring us to McNellis.)

There may still be a few permitting hurdles if Walmart proceeds with its plans. Slattery explained to McNellis in an email that if the company chooses to construct a new building (or to remove more than 50 percent of the existing one in its renovations), then it would likely need to relocate parking to the side or behind the building, away from the coast. 

A new (or mostly new) building could also face discretionary design review, Slattery says, though in an October email he told McNellis that staff was working on an amendment to remove that requirement. That proposal would go to the city council for approval in three to four months’ time, he noted.

“If the property is developed in this manner as a grocery store, there would be no need for a CDP or other Planning permit at the discretion of a Board or Commission,” Slattery advised the developer. “The only requirement would be associated building permits.”

Press release from the County of Humboldt:

The County of Humboldt is excited to announce that Justin Hopman is anticipated to be appointed as the county’s new Director of Aviation at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

Justin Hopman, C.M., ACE, brings over 15 years of aviation experience to his new role as Humboldt County’s Director of Aviation. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Director of Operations and Maintenance for the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority on Florida’s Space Coast, where he oversaw the management, operations and development of a multi-airport system and licensed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spaceport. He led major improvement projects, including runway rehabilitations, new hangar construction and navigational system upgrades, and he is currently completing a new air traffic control tower project. Before his work on the Space Coast, Hopman held operations roles at Orlando International and Orlando Executive airports. 

“I am thrilled to join Humboldt County as the new Director of Aviation,” said incoming Aviation Director Justin Hopman. “As the heart of regional economies and the front door to the world, airports generate economic growth, sustain livelihoods and open endless opportunities for trade, tourism and human connection. Across my professional career, I’ve focused on creating and maintaining safe, efficient, community-centered airport operations. I look forward to bringing the same commitment to Humboldt County’s system of airports.”

The incoming Director of Aviation will oversee the management and development of Humboldt County’s six airports. Responsibilities include managing daily operations, leading capital improvement projects and guiding long-term planning to improve safety and service. The Aviation Director will also work to strengthen airline partnerships, support general aviation and collaborate with key aviation partners to enhance airport services and regional connectivity.

“I am excited to welcome Justin Hopman to Humboldt County,” said Third District Supervisor and Chair of the Board Mike Wilson. “His hands-on leadership style and experience managing complex airport systems will be a tremendous asset as we continue to strengthen aviation services and plan for the future. His background in airport management and commitment to safe, community-focused operations make him a valuable addition to county’s leadership team.”

Hopman is anticipated to begin work as Humboldt County’s Director of Aviation on Jan. 5, 2026.

For more information on the Humboldt County Department of Aviation, please visit FlyACV.com.

PREVIOUSLY

• Man Engulfed In Flames During ‘Flare-Up’ at Scotia Power Plant

Nine months after a man employed by the Humboldt Sawmill Company was set afire at their Scotia power plant in March, the company has been fined $37,000 by California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). 

The worker, around 40 years of age, suffered second-degree burns when the company’s wood-fired energy facility flared up. The flames enveloped him for 20 seconds until he jumped from a 10-foot balcony to escape. He landed on his hand and was in “excruciating pain,” according to the caller that made the original 911 call in March. The heat was brutal enough to melt the beard off of his face. 

The fireball was caused by hot ash falling out of a hopper that had had its motor removed. 

Cal/OSHA originally fined Humboldt Sawmill $68,650 in September, but the penalty was reduced on appeal, handed down by their appeals board on Monday. The settlement fines were eliminated for insufficiently reviewing their Emergency Action Plans with their employees and failing to find the hazardous conditions. Fines were reduced for poorly implementing injury training, improper use of Personal Protective Equipment, and failing to prevent the explosion.

Reached today, the Humboldt Sawmill Company is working on a comment. We’ll include it when received.