Richard Edman Pritchett

Richard “Dick” Edman Pritchett was born in 1932 in a logging camp near the small community of Pike, Oregon. Logging had ceased but the camp’s owner allowed his parents, Earl and Gladys Pritchett, and other families, to live there during the Depression.

Even after the family moved to Carlton in 1935, they maintained a close connection to Pike through friends and family who lived there.

In 1935, Carlton’s 800 residents were primarily farmers and loggers. Dick and his siblings – Harold, Shirley and Sharon – attended Carlton school, a one-building school that served all grades. Dick’s senior year Carlton High School consolidated with McMinnville High School. He graduated in 1950.

Dick held a myriad of jobs growing up. His kids and grandkids were always surprised when he mentioned one more job he had. The jobs (that we know of!) included: working in the hay fields; driving hay trucks over the mountains to farmers on the coast; picking fruit and berries; cleaning buildings in town; working at the gas station; pulling lumber off the saw at the lumber mill; helping his dad at the shingle mill; working as mason’s helper; and delivering ice.

Dick joined the Air Force where he worked maintaining aircraft radios.

He spent one leave with his buddy John and his family at their home. That’s where he met John’s younger sister, Jeanne. One year later, on Feb. 1, 1957, the couple married. They were married 65 years.

Once discharged, Dick and Jeanne moved to Corvallis, Oregon where he attended Oregon State University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He earned a Master’s degree from the University of Kentucky.

He worked briefly for RCA and then IBM in Lexington, Kentucky where the couple’s son, Steven, was born. The young family moved to Austin, TX when Dick was transferred with IBM.

Their daughter, Susan, was born in Austin.

The family were faithful members of Covenant Presbyterian Church.

He was an amazing Dad who supported every band concert, piano recital, baseball or basketball game. He always made time to listen to his kids and grandkids.

Summer vacations were spent staying connected to family in Oregon and Pennsylvania and introducing Steven and Susan to the places where Dick and Jeanne grew up. Dick loved Oregon. Carlton wasn’t just his family’s home. It was – and is – a place of beauty and simple pleasures that he wanted to share with his wife, kids, and grandkids: hiking Oregon mountains; camping by mountain lakes (in a rainstorm!); walking the beach and examining life in tide pools; and eating soft serve ice cream with Marion berries.

He enjoyed Bluegrass music, playing the banjo, gardening, tending his roses and woodcarving.

After Dick retired from IBM in 1996, he and mom spent time with children and grandchildren in Texas and family in Oregon and Pennsylvania. They moved to Westminster Retirement Community. As Parkinson’s disease began taking a toll of Dick’s ability to care for himself, he moved to the Arbor healthcare area of Westminster where he received great care. Jeanne visited him everyday before he passed away May 5, 2022. He was 89.

He is survived by his wife Jeanne; son Steven Pritchett and wife Bonnie, daughter Susan Lewis and her husband Bill; and his grandchildren Robert Pritchett and wife Maria (who is expecting their first child in Nov.), Sam Pritchett, Jack Lewis, Carter Lewis, Max Lewis and Calvin Lewis; his brother Harold Pritchett and wife Anne and his sister Sharon Nistler and her husband Bob. He is preceded in death by his father and mother, Earl and Gladys Pritchett and his sister Shirley Webb.

Services will be held Saturday June 4th at 10am at Covenant Presbyterian Church at 3003 Northland Drive, Austin, TX. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Parkinson’s Foundation.