John Covington

John Carl Covington – The man. The myth. The legend. He has exited his long-suffering body, living decades longer than he expected, and maybe a tad longer than he felt he deserved. He took his final breath on April 8, 2025, at the age of 74.

John was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, to Christopher Columbus Covington and Eunice Freeman on August 4, 1950. In his early teens, much to his chagrin, his mother moved him to St. Anthony, Idaho. He attended South Fremont High School there. He married Judy Whitmore in 1965, and they had two children, Brent and Eric. While that marriage did not last, John was no quitter. He married Mary Cecilia O’Reilly in 1971. They were together for 16 years and had three children. He met his last love, Valeta Marie Avery, in 1987 and he spent the last 37 years of his life with her. Valeta’s application for sainthood is currently under review.

In his younger years, John was a demolition derby champion, cliff diver, motorcycle rider, avid ski-patroller and all-around adrenaline junkie. Legend has it that John saved a number of individuals from certain death in the latter part of the 20th century, thanks to breaking up knife fights while bouncing at biker bars like the 13th Street Tavern and Satan’s Playpen. He also did his fair share of hard work and life-saving during his service in the Army National Guard, where he honorably served his country in the Vietnam War and working as a paramedic during Desert Storm. He was also known for his diverse work experiences. His resume includes artificially inseminating turkeys, selling Pontiacs, logistics specialist for Sperry computers, driving an ambulance, and HVAC work (just to name a few).

John never met a stranger he couldn’t swap life stories with, a cigarette he didn’t want to smoke, a B horror movie he didn’t want to watch, or an adrenaline-fueled hobby he wasn’t interested in trying. He hoped against all hope that Bigfoot was real and couldn’t resist a good fart joke (hopefully, you knew better than to pull his finger). While some of these things may have contributed to his recent passing, they also made him one of the most relatable, fun, welcoming and interesting people you could meet.

John is more loved and will be more missed than he ever could have imagined. He will be remembered as a loving husband, a proud father, a reliable friend, and one hell of a storyteller. His legacy will live on through his wife, Valeta; his children, Eric Covington, Jonathan (Lara) Covington, Whitney (Steve) Sutton, Jacques Miranda and Leigh (Rob) Cascioli; and his many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

He is being greeted on the other side with love and affection by his son Brent Covington; his parents; and siblings Ted Spradling, Stella Davis, Perry Covington, Jerry Covington, and Shirley Covington.

A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m. Sunday, April 13, 2025, at Wood Funeral Home East Side, 963 South Ammon Road. The family will visit with friends from 3:00 p.m. until 3:45 p.m. prior to services.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the family would be appreciated to cover memorial service costs and other unexpected expenses.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.woodfuneralhome.com.