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PENSACOLA, FL – November 3, 1939 – February 5, 2021. Calvin (Cal) Joseph Prout, age 81, passed away peacefully on February 5, 2021, in Pensacola, Florida, surrounded by his loving wife and children.
He was preceded in death by his parents: Charles Prout and Ellen Steel; his brother, Terry Prout; and his aunt, Anna Wilson.
He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Eolia (Sis) Prout; four children: Laurie Downs (Daniel), Tracey Roberts (Bruce), Michael Prout, and Todd Prout; a sister, Madeleine Alderson (James); eight grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.
Cal was born on November 3, 1939. He graduated from LaSalle High School in St. Ignace, Michigan, in 1957, and was employed as a painter, and later as an ironworker during the construction of the Mackinac Bridge. He attended Northern Michigan University for one year. He then attended apprenticeship and became a member of the Iron Workers Local 783 in Marquette, Michigan, which later merged with Milwaukee and became Local 8. Cal served on Local 783's executive board from 1968 through 1970 and as president from 1970 through 1976. He married his wife, Sis, in 1959, and they lived in various locations until settling at their current address, 13 Horseshoe Lake Circle in Negaunee, where they have resided for over 50 years. He continued working in the iron working trade throughout the U.S. for over 42 years, retiring from the profession in 2000. In 2007, he was inducted into the Ironworkers Hall of Fame -with special recognition for being the youngest ironworker on the Mackinac Bridge project. He also worked as a commercial fisherman on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior with his father and later with his two sons.
Cal was a registered member of the American Legion in Marquette, the Elks Lodge in Negaunee, and a was a member of St. Christopher's Parish in Marquette, Michigan. He was also a proud member of the Sault St. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
Cal was an avid sports enthusiast, lettering in varsity football and baseball in high school. He later played on teams that regularly scrimmaged against inmates at the Marquette Branch Prison. He enjoyed bowling and belonged to a league in Marquette for several years. He also played fast pitch softball for a team sponsored by Remillard's Bar for many years, after which he enjoyed the camaraderie of playing in slow pitch leagues. On several occasions he played in the old-timers' tournaments during Negaunee's Pioneer Days. He also enjoyed golfing in local leagues and in his winter home of Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Cal loved toiling in his garden, and he enjoyed spending leisure time at his camp which he built with his wife, Sis, with the assistance of many wonderful friends and their children. It was their labor of love, a sanctuary where they would go to relax, hunt, and enjoy a sauna at the end of the day. He loved going for spontaneous rides off the beaten path to explore the beauty and hidden treasures of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and his annual hiatus with Sis to Gulf Shores, Alabama, where they were "snowbirds" for 21 years.
Cal was a lover of poetry and was quite a poet and storyteller himself. He was always able to make those around him laugh. He was a poet-warrior-more poet than warrior, bringing a smile and a laugh (and occasionally a tear) to those around him.
He loved life, and he loved people. He was truly a remarkable husband and father, and a friend to all. He will be greatly missed.
A memorial service celebrating his life will be scheduled at a later date.