Shirley Pritchard
January 14, 1925 ~ June 14, 2018
Shirley Pritchard, 93, of Faulkton, passed away Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Faulkton Senior Living.
Memorial Service was held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, July 14, 2018 at the United Church of Faulkton, with Rev. Sheila Richards presiding. Private burial of her cremains took place at the Faulkton Cemetery.
Shirley Mae Hutchinson was born January 14, 1925 to William Boyne and Rosetta Madeline (Herrmann) Hutchinson in the Faulkton Providence Hospital, Faulkton, SD. She grew up on the family farm east of Faulkton and attended grade school at Lafoon Township School and graduated from Faulkton High School in 1943. She was the Faulkton High School Homecoming Queen that same year. That fall she attended Minneapolis Business College taking a private secretarial course. After graduation, she worked as a dictaphone operator for K.O. Lee Company in Aberdeen until her marriage to Robert Lee Pritchard on December 3, 1944.
She and her husband farmed for a short time near Cresbard. In 1946, they purchased the Tony Heim farm SE of Faulkton and farmed at that location until 1977, when they retired and moved into Faulkton.
She joined the Methodist Church in Faulkton as a young woman and was an active member throughout her life. She was a member of the Woman’s Society of Christian Service, a Sunday School teacher, held offices on the Board and was a member of the planning committee for the new sanctuary built in 1966. During that time, she was among a group of Methodist women that produced the Methodist Women’s Cookbook published in 1961.
She joined the Rebekah Lodge in 1950 and held a variety of positions including Noble Grand. She was a member of the Faulk County Historical Society, holding various offices including president. She was a charter member of the Faulkton Area Arts Council and the Shirk Home Auxiliary. She joined the Busy Bee Extension Homemaker Club in 1958, holding various offices including president several times. She served as Faulk County Extension Secretary and was president in 1977. As promotion person for the State Homemaker meeting, she wrote a skit that was performed in 17 districts across the state. While County Homemaker chairman, she developed the idea of a "Town and Country Days" which combined 4-H Achievement Days, the Faulkton Merchant’s Appreciation supper and open class exhibits; events that continue to the present.
From 1982 to 1985, she was the Promotion and Publicity chairman for Faulkton’s Centennial and she organized Faulkton’s first all-school reunion in 1987. She was chairman of the Centennial celebration of the United Church of Faulkton and was a major contributor to the church history book.
In 1987, she became the promotion/publicity person for Faulkton’s celebration of South Dakota’s Centennial and, after attending a workshop on tourism, she began promoting Faulkton. She was named a board member at large from Faulk County on the Glacial Lakes Tourism Board and promoted the area extensively. In 1989 she was nominated by both the Busy Bee Extension Club and the Faulk County Historical Society for Woman of the Year in South Dakota.
In 1980 she joined the Faulk County Record as a feature story writer and worked there for four years. She was a member of the South Dakota Press Women’s Society and won several awards for her stories.
As a member of the Faulk County Historical Society, she was part of a small group that helped restore the Pickler Mansion and served as one of the guides who ushered visitors through the mansion each year.
After retiring, she and her husband traveled extensively; visiting 47 states and several foreign countries. In 1973, she and her husband were selected, along with 35 other South Dakota farmers, to be unofficial ambassadors of the United States on a "People to People" tour of five European countries and Russia. On that trip, she made life-long friends and attended annual tour group reunions for many years.
She was proud of her county and her town and was a tireless promoter of Faulkton and Faulk County.
She was an avid letter-writer and kept in contact with dozens of friends and family, both near and far. Many remember her pineapple upside down cakes or chocolate chip cookies delivered for birthdays and other important events.
She had a lifelong interest in family history. Above all, she was a devoted wife and playful mother to her sons, seldom failing to go along with their ideas.
Her favorite quote was: “Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that’s the way I will remember you. If you can’t remember me with laughter, do not remember me at all.”
She is survived by her sons, Steven (Linda) Pritchard, Winston, GA and Gary (Karla) Pritchard, Clayton, DE; grandchildren: Nathan (Amy) Pritchard, Elizabeth (Jessica) Pritchard, Amanda (Jeff) Byler and Benjamin (Cassie) Pritchard; eleven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert Lee Pritchard; her brother, William John Hutchinson; and great-grandson, Zachery Pritchard.
The family would like to thank all those who visited and cared for her in their absence, with special thanks to Marv and Pam Hutchinson for the loving attention and care they provided.
Memorials will be used to create a scholarship for a deserving FHS graduate studying teaching or journalism. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to that fund or to your favorite charity. Donations may be mailed to Shirley Pritchard Memorial, c/o Steve Pritchard, 7889 Tyree Rd, Winston, GA 30187.
Luce Funeral Home of Faulkton has been entrusted with Shirley’s arrangements.
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Dear Steve, Gary and families, I want to extend my deepest sympathy upon hearing of the death of my dear, good friend – and your mother, Shirley. I have had some of the best times in all my lifetime in her presence, she made me laugh often. We had such fun making and eating our "goumet" meals for 10 years. She was always upbeat and energetic. What a pretty lady she was, especially in the hats she loved. She will live in my heart forever. Charlie enjoyed her company too, and we both send our thoughts and prayers for comfort at this time and bright memories in the future.