Gary Lee Pritchard age 75 of Farmersburg, Iowa passed away Saturday, August 19, 2023 at Mercy One in Waterloo, Iowa. Gary was born on June 27, 1948 to Walter and Margaret (Monahan) Pritchard in West Union Iowa. Gary was raised and educated in the rural Elgin IA area.
On July 3, 1966 Gary was united in marriage with Marilyn Houser in Oelwein, IA. Three children were born from this union; Cheryl (Pritchard) Supples, Melissa (Pritchard) Arman, and Cathy (Pritchard) Hoeger. The couple later divorced. On March 3, 1973 Gary was united in marriage with Rita Zurcher in Farmersburg, IA. Three children were born from this union: Lee Zurcher, Cory Pritchard, and Lisa (Pritchard) Knickerbocker.
Gary has always lived an adventurous life, becoming the jack of all trades along the way. He had a vast work experience in areas such as: farming, carpentry, auto mechanics, auto sales, farm machinery sales & service, large equipment operator, truck driver, feed salesman, bar tender, milk man, horse trader, and construction to name a few. Gary was a very successful entrepreneur and multi business owner of Gary’s Gas & Tire, Pritchard Feed, and Pritchard trucking all of Farmersburg, IA. He owned and operated all three businesses at the same time for a number of years. In later years he found joy in using his skills to run machinery for the Amish until retirement.
Gary loved a good adventure and always looked forward to his next. He was a man that had family and friends from all over the United States, making friends wherever he went. He enjoyed going on long car rides with his beloved wife Rita and other loved ones. Many rides were spent searching for antique cars along the way to purchase and repair with those with a moment to spare, so they could drive it during the next adventure. Gary also enjoyed being outdoors, going to garage sales and auctions, farming, fishing, and, working with horses, but above all spending time with Rita, family, and friends. Gary loved to bring happiness to those around him. If he discovered one of the Grandchildren had an interest you could pretty much bet it would be part of his next adventure. Gary wanted nothing more than to make sure his Grandchildren were happy and healthy and strived to put a smile on their face.
Gary is survived by his wife of 50 years, Rita Pritchard; his six children, Cheryl (Rob) Supples, Cathy (Pritchard) Hoeger, Melissa (Shaun) Arman; Lee (Jenni Konichek) Zurcher Farmersburg IA; Cory Pritchard, Farmersburg IA, and Lisa (Leo) Knickerbocker Farmersburg Iowa; 33 Grand Children, Tabitha, Colgan, Rosie, Maggie, Jonathon, Joseph, Xander, Shaun Douglas, Jake, Anthony, Michael, Kayla, Misty, Sheree, Dylan, Mitch, Jesse, Austin, Ben, Isaac, Maccoy, Ryan, Ellen, Madelene, Maclynn, Rebecca, Andrew, Dakota, Lynnie, Breanna, Trevor, Caleb, and Vince; 18 Great Grand Children, 4 Brothers, Leslie Pritchard of West Union Iowa, Lyle Pritchard of McGregor Rodney (Patty Pritchard) of Monona, and Brad (Malinda) Pritchard of Greeley, Colorado; 3 Sisters Ilo Corbin of Volga, Barbara Peterson of Mederville, and Marion (Marvin) Van Sickle of Elgin: 2 sisters-in-law, June Pritchard of Edgewood, and Lynda Pritchard of Des Moines; and one brother-in-law Robert Zurcher of Rice Lake Wisconsin.
Gary was proceeded in death by his parents Walter and Margaret Pritchard, his in-laws Clarence and Ellen Zurcher, four brothers Alfred, Amos, Richard, and Robert Pritchard; brother-in-law Charles Corbin, sisters-in-law Judy Pritchard, Francis Pritchard, and Brenda Zurcher; and several nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews.
A Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Thursday, August 31, 2023 at Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Monona, Iowa. There will also be a one hour visitation before services at the church on Friday.
Funeral Service will be at 11:00 am on Friday, September 1, 2023 at St. John Lutheran Church in Farmersburg, Iowa with Vicar Jeremy Wolfe as the officiant.
Burial will follow at Farmersburg-Wagner Cemetery in Farmersburg, Iowa.
Gary’s children would like to invite everyone to the church basement after the funeral for one last picnic with him. Feel free to bring your favorite potluck dish and favorite stories, we can’t wait to hear them all!
Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation service in Monona, Iowa is assisting the family with arrangements.