Mary Wilfred Pettit Prevost passed away on June 26, 2025, just three days shy of her 95th birthday. She was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi on June 29, 1930, to Gladys and Roy Pettit. As a child she enjoyed spending time with family, reading, and being in nature. As a young woman she met the love of her life, Ralph Prevost, whom she then married and started a family with. They moved to Oregon and later settled in California to raise their children Lee, Roy, Cathy, Larry, and Robin, who grew up playing in the redwood forests of Scotts Valley and on the beaches of Santa Cruz. Mary was known by many titles: Daughter, Sister, Mother, Granny, Nana, Great-Grandma, Aunt, Cousin, Friend, and to many as Caregiver. She was a Certified Nursing Assistant in the infant ward of Santa Cruz Community Hospital. She loved babies and cared for each as if they were one of her own. She later worked in elderly care, always seeming to have good humor and high spirits even through difficult circumstances. She was a member of Twin Lakes Baptist Church and loved the music there. She often hummed along to the hymns or sang to herself as she went about her daily tasks. Mary loved to garden. Any home she lived in was brimming with house plants and even the smallest patio or yard was transformed into an oasis of roses, succulents, and angel wing begonias. She planted plants for others, as a way to bring cheer and to remember people and places she loved. Mary’s family would also like to include a special Thank You to her nursing team at Santa Cruz Post Acute. Just as she cared for so many during her life, they reciprocated this, and we will always be grateful for that. Mary was a beautiful, poised, and graceful woman. She will be missed and remembered.

A celebration of life will be held at the Corralitos Grange Hall, 165 Little Corral Way, Corralitos, on July 27th from 2-4pm.

Charitable donations may be made in Mary’s name to Hospice of Santa Cruz County.