John Prescott Lovell, 71, died March 4 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Oregon, after suffering a stroke on Feb. 28. His wife, Kim Pfautz, and family members were by his side in his final days.
John was born April 1, 1951, in Cold Spring, the third of Laura and Jim Lovell’s four boys. He grew up in Garrison, where he met his future wife and enjoyed hiking in the Hudson Valley and learning carpentry in his father’s construction company. He attended Highland Falls High School, where he was a varsity swimmer, and graduated from Utica College of Syracuse University with a degree in political science.
After college, he lived in Christiansted, St. Croix, working in the hospitality business and honing his interest in journalism by following local issues. He then traveled to California to visit his Uncle John Lovell and settled in San Francisco, where he became a tour director, learning and narrating local history. He joined WQED, the public television station, and became the unit manager for the production of “Over Easy.”
He and Kim met again while both were in San Francisco. They married on Thanksgiving Day in 1981 on Thanksgiving Day in Truckee, California. Kim made her profession working for incentive travel programs, traveling all over the world. This fueled John’s love of travel and together they toured the globe hiking and appreciating local cultures.
John and Kim discovered Hood River, Oregon, and moved there in 1991 to buy what would become the Beryl House Bed and Breakfast, a 1908 house John managed for 15 years. John’s skills with people and as a carpenter and cook served him well. He brought his organizational skills to co-creating the Hood River Bed and Breakfast Association. John and Kim then moved to Bingen, Washington, and after that Mt. Hood-Parkdale before moving to Underwood, Washington, in 2021, where they began renovations on their new home.
John’s keen interest in architecture, the natural environment and local lore led him into the real-estate business, working for Windermere for more than a decade. John was a well-known raconteur, who enjoyed learning all he could about where he lived and traveled. Anyone who visited with him and Kim were treated to his famous tours to area sights, to stories, hikes, and great meals. Although devoted to the Hood River region, he stayed in close touch with his brothers and their families and his wife’s family and made regular trips to Vermont, Boston, Cold Spring and the Maryland Eastern Shore to see them all.
Along with his wife of 41 years, John is survived by his brothers, Christopher Lovell (Ellen) and Peter Lovell; his sister-in-law, Nancy Montgomery; his sisters-in-law Leanne Pfautz (Barry Peoples) and Annette Pfautz (Larry Hopper); and his brother-in-law Wallis Pfautz (Karin Bauer). He is also survived by his nephews Evan (Kristi), Finn, Jack and Hudson and his niece, Brooke. His parents and his brother, James Gere Lovell, died before him.
A family service is being planned. Memorial donations may be made to Hood River Adopt-a-Dog (hoodriveradoptadog.org), THRIVE Hood River (thrivehoodriver.org), or Friends of the Columbia River Gorge (gorgefriends.org).
