Walter Sherman PRITCHARD

PRITCHARD, BLOOM, FINCH, ROSECRANS, CAMPBELL, GROBATY, OBERHAUSER

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/23/2010 at 21:27:56

Walter Sherman Pritchard, 75, this county's representative in the state legislature for the last three terms, died at his home about 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, November 30, after a long illness. Funeral services were held at the St. Boniface Catholic Church Tuesday, December 3, at 10 a.m., with Rev. Father M. J. Matemach and Rev. Father Edward J. Riley in charge of the services. Mr. Pritchard was born in Belmond on September 28, 1871, the son of John Sherman and Florine Bloom Pritchard. He graduated from the Belmond public schools and the North Iowa Business College. He was cashier of the Belmond State Bank from 1890 to 1900, and from 1900 to 1914 he operated and owned farms in Hancock, Wright and Cerro Gordo Counties. He came to this county about 1908 and farmed in Garfield Township; then returned to Wright County for a few years, before coming to Garner in 1914 and purchasing an interest in a garage. Mr. Pritchard's first partner in the garage business was C. E. Barnes, present mayor of Garner. Sometime later he operated a garage and agency in partnership with B. L. Prouty, from 1921-26. Then several years later his son, Paul Sherman, became his partner, and recently another son, Walter Stanley, has been his partner in operating the Ford garage and agency here. Mr. Pritchard was state Republican representative from this county for the years 1940, 1942, and 1944; he did not run for re-election in the 1946 campaign. Mr. Pritchard and Jennie Elinor Finch were married on September 17, 1896, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. I. Rosecrans in Belmond, with the Rev. Father Egan officiating. After eight years in Belmond, Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard moved to the farm in this county and some 34 years ago moved to Garner, where the members of the family have been in business ever since. Mr. Pritchard played an important part in the growth of Hancock County and took a very active part in the development of Garner. He was a member of the town council from 1916 to 1922, and served as mayor from 1922 to 1924, during which time the streets were paved. Garner has the most paved streets of any town in the state of a comparable size. From 1916 to 1934, he served as chairman of a troop company of the Boy Scouts of America in the Mason City area, and was instrumental in buying a camp site located near Garner. Mr. Pritchard was president of the Lions Club in 1930-31, and under his leadership, the club sponsored the buying of the lot next to the library and donating it to the town of Garner. He was a former member of the legislative committee of the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association. He was a Mason.

Surviving are his wife; five sons, Paul S., Mason City, John W., Britt, Walter S., Garner, Harry M., Philadelphia, Robert J., Clear Lake; and three married daughters, Catherine Maud (Mrs. G. H. Campbell) , Laura Elizabeth (Mrs. R. G. Grobaty), both live in California, and Marion Finch (Mrs. L. B. Oberhauser) of Belmond. Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on last September 17. At the time of this anniversary, Mr. Pritchard was in a hospital in Mason City, where he remained for several weeks before returning to his home here. He has been in constant failing health for a number of months. The honorary pallbearers were: H. M. Knudsen, Mason City; Willis York, Madrid; Dr. H. C. Krueger, Clear Lake; Theodore Klemmesrud, Thompson; Edward Capesius, Algona; Perm Eckels, Britt; J. C. Lucas, Madrid; F. M. Hanson, Des Moines; Fred C. Missal, Garner; James I. Dolliver, Ft. Dodge; A. C. Gustafson, Des Moines; and Harry Linn, Des Moines. The active pallbearers were Lloyd Anderson, Robert Denney, Rudy Bonn, Emil Rekow, Norman Allison and Raymond Nelson. Interment was made in the St. Boniface Cemetery.