Obituary of Jeff Pruett

Jeff Pruett, a resident of Aptos, California, died unexpectedly in his sleep March 31, 2020. He is survived by his sisters, Jennifer and Jill Pruett and his aunt, Nancy Jehl. A lifelong California resident, Jeff was born December 11, 1956 to JoAnn and Jerry Pruett, who raised him in San Francisco. Jeff graduated from Lowell High School, and received degrees in Biology and Bio-Engineering from UC San Diego. He had a varied and colorful work history, including as owner of Pizza Amore in Santa Cruz and for the last several years with Early Bird Shuttle/Santa Cruz. A gregarious man with a gift of gab, Jeff loved talking about any San Francisco sports team, hiking trails, and especially about food. Jeff was a fantastic cook, and particularly enjoyed marinating and grilling all kinds of foods. He explored everything from ethnic to local, cooking seafood as well as fresh vegetables from his garden and he patiently prepared everything with love. Jeff sought out new and interesting places to eat, and often talked chefs into sharing their recipes with him. He was a true gourmet in the best sense of the word. Jeff will be missed by his friends and family, who are planning a memorial in the Santa Cruz area, in the future when travel and gatherings are again safe.