Livonia: Peacefully on February 20, 2018 at age 70. Predeceased by his parents Lewy and Caroline Pragle, brother Wayne Kurelko, and sisters; Donna Springer and Charlotte Northrop. Survived by his wife of 50 years, Catherine (Stymus) Pragle and sons; Travis Pragle (Joette Nagle) of York, Jeremy (Nicole) Pragle also of York, and Cory (Wendy) Pragle of Hemlock; grandsons, Jesse and Jason Pragle; sister Iva Johnson of Springwater, and several nieces & nephews.
Richard was born on November 18, 1947 in Wayland, NY. Dick graduated from Livonia High School and was later drafted for the US Army serving in Vietnam from 1967-1969. After his military service he worked at Wilmot Castle Co. in Rochester, NY which later became Getinge. He retired from Getinge after 44 years of service. Dick lived for his sons, grandsons, and family. He was an avid hunter and enjoyed teaching hunters safety for both gun and bow. Dick was a back yard mechanic fixing whatever he could including auto body work. If he couldn’t fix it, it couldn’t be fixed.
Friends may call on Friday, February 23rd, from 5-7pm at the Kevin W. Dougherty Funeral Home Inc., 21 Big Tree Street, Rte 20A, Livonia, NY where his funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 24th, at 10:30am. Burial Union Cemetery, Livonia, NY with military honors. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lima VFW Post 26, PO Box 361, Lima, NY 14485. To send a condolence or share a memory please visit: www.doughertyfuneralhomes.com
Bill has many good/crazy memories of hunting with Dick and family in the Adirondacks. We were sorry to hear of his passing, our prayers are with you all.
Cathy,I’m so sorry to hear that Richard passed, hope u are doing ok, I’ve been there n it does get better, sorry for your loss.
RIP Mr. Pragle and my neighbor. Although we never formally met, I aprreciated the friendly waves to each other in passing as we were both doing lawn work, I admired your work ethic! Condolences to the Pragle family!
Cathy. Our thoughts are with you and your family. Sorry we could not attend the calling hours. We’re both sick.
I worked with Dick in Tech Support at Getinge/Castle for a few years until I switch departments. But still relied on his talent and knowledge on any piece of equipment that was ever marketed for processing surgical equipment or sold by MDT/Castle.
We have the greatest respect for Dick and still remember the humorous stories and seeing him smile through his cookie brush, His looking forward to working on the cars with his sons. Also, how punctual he was at work and especially when the clock said 5:05PM, You knew Dick would have his station cleaned up, his hat-n-coat on and in the parking lot, on his way to spending time with his family. But, if one of us still needed help with an issue, he would gladly stay to discuss steps to a resolution. We were all better for knowing Dick and for providing us our happy memories around him. Kind Regards to his family and friends.
As my brother Dale states herein after many years we were lucky to have met up with Dick in the Fall of 2016. My memories of him are fond as they are of all the Pragle family, good people who put up with us. I remember Fred Ace an old man that Dicks parents provided a place to live. After seeing Dick at George Johnsons birthday celebration we visited our brother Guy Smith who, when we told him we had seen Dick, went on to tell us what a thoughtful, honest and polite young man Dicks’ son Cory is. We were not surprised, good people come from good people. Glad that I crossed paths with you Dick.
My sincere condolences for your loss, may God be with family during this time of need. Although I did not work directly with Dick, I knew of his outstanding reputation, dedication to his work & work ethic.
From one veteran to another, “Thank You for Your Service to Your Country Sir”. Rest in Peace & my God be with your family & loved ones.
Dick was a very special person, and I enjoyed working with him at Getinge. He was a person with whom you could always count on for support. I will always remember those “bologna” sandwiches he would bring for lunch! We all will miss him, but certainly have many fond memories of his support and his dry wit! My thoughts are with Dick’s family during this sad time for us all.
I am sad to learn of Dick’s passing. A little over a year ago, my brother Dan and I were glad to see Dick, after so many years, at our friend George Johnson’s 70th birthday party. We had a lot of laughs and reminisced about our boyhood days together. You were a nice kid and a good man, Dick. Rest in peace, old friend.
My heartfelt condolences to the Dick Pragle family. I worked with Dick both in person, but mostly as a Field Service Representative in Northern California for 20 plus years. He always delivered exemplary technical assistance in the most consistent, accurate, humorous and dependable manner possible. There were many occasions where we just talked about many other things. He was a fine individual.
I knew Dick thru Getinge and it was a pleasure working with him. ALWAYS so friendly and willing to help. He has been missed since his retirement and will continue to be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
I had the pleasure to be a coworker with Dick for many years. As a Service Representative receiving his coaching and advice, Dick had a very gifted mechanical mind but also challenged us to work it out on our own. Dick knew how much to say and when to be quiet and challenge us to be better. As we grew in our careers I had the honor to consult with Dick on many technical issues. I learned immensely from him. His knowledge and inspiration made us all stronger. My thoughts and Prayers for all Dicks family as you remember and honor his life.
This is for Iva. Hello, I am Tom Fullam, I used to stay with my aunt Irene in Rush and played with Rich when you lived on West Henrietta Road. I hope you remember me. I am so sorry to hear Rich passed. Talk about weird, I have thought about all of you over the years and when I read the obit, and when I saw that Rich worked at Wilmot Castle for so long my heart sank. I was in transportation during my working career and was very close to Castle and visited thier facility several times a month. Had I known Rich worked there I would have reached out to him and we could have met.
You can reach me if you want. My aunt Irene passed away a few years ago at 90. Take care and again my sympathy
I worked with Dick at MDT/ Castle/ Getinge for many years and was truly inspired by his knowledge and wisdom. I am a better person today for having known him.
I am deeply sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
I am so sorry to hear the news of Dick’s passing. He was a wonderful man and friend. I enjoyed working with him and looked forward to his visits to Getinge to check in on his friends, say hello and share his retirement days with us! His smiling face and friendship will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you during this sad time.
Rest in peace you old cambuster