Raymond Prichard, 89, passed away Dec. 12, 2014 at his home in Shoreline, Wash. He was born Sept. 7, 1925 in Blackwell, Okla., to George and Edith Prichard.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruthie Clothile Christian; by four brothers, Bill Durf Prichard of Pocahontas, Ark., Cleo Prichard of Vici, Okla., Jake Prichard of Garden Grove, Calif., and Ernest “Babe” Prichard of Sanford, Texas; and by two sisters, Georgia Jones of Borger, Texas, and Freda Prichard of Garber, Okla.
He is survived by his son Ronald Ray Prichard; daughter-in-law Laura Gordon; granddaughter Annika Rose Prichard; and by numerous much-loved nieces and nephews.
A World War II veteran, joined the Navy at 17 and served from October 1942 to August 1946 as a gunner’s mate second class on the USS Knox. Not long after his return, he met Ruthie. They married on June 14, 1947, in Panhandle, Texas, and were together for 62 years until her death in 2009. They lived in Sanford and Borger, Texas; Augusta, Ga.; Pasco, Wash.; and in Southern California for 35 years, before retiring to Vici, Okla.
He enjoyed fishing, was a fan of football, golf and boxing, loved his visits with his nieces and nephews, and always appreciated a big home-cooked meal. He told vivid stories about his Navy years and of his childhood during the Dustbowl.
He moved to the Seattle area after his wife’s death to be near his son and family. There, he caught a mighty Chinook salmon, and got to cheer the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl victory.
Raymond worked as a plumber and pipefitter, and was a proud member of the Steam-Refrigeration-Air Conditioning-Pipefitters Local Union 250 for more than 60 years.
A private memorial will be held in Seattle in the near future.