Ray Towner "Bud" Pringle

Ray T. “Bud” Pringle, 88, passed away the morning of Dec. 19, 2015, at home with his wife Barb and daughters.

Bud was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Aug. 2, 1927, to N. Elma Pringle (1887- 1970) and Ray A. Pringle (1882-1970). Bud joined half- brother, Harold Alfred, and older sister, Julia Joyce “Judy,” both deceased.

The family moved to Hammond, Ind., then to Walla Walla in 1939. Bud attended Sharpstein School, where his eyes first glimpsed a pretty girl in his class, Barbara “Bobbie” Millard.

At Walla Walla High School he was on the boxing team. Bud graduated a semester early, joining many classmates entering military service. Bud’s choice was the U.S. Navy because it was most likely to have clean sheets on the bunk. He served on the USS Hornet and the USS Boxer. Bud was assigned to a team maintaining and then checking a plane on the flight deck before take-off. Bud received three Navy commendations for his service in the Pacific. Bud would later co-own and pilot two Beech Bonanzas and an Enstrom helicopter.

Upon completion of his Navy service, Bud returned to Walla Walla and married Barb on May 12, 1947, before beginning college at Washington State University. Having seen the Pacific and then Pullman, after a semester Bud and Barb returned to Walla Walla to work with Bud’s dad cleaning residential and commercial businesses.

They tinkered in their home garage and produced what would be called the Pringle Power Vac, a vacuum system mounted on a truck bed with hoses to furnaces.

Bud had crews that used the furnace-cleaning trucks throughout the Northwest. Bud, with Barb in tow, would drive to towns and start selling furnace cleaning, house to house. Walla Walla, Colville, Spokane and the Tri-Cities soon had teams working. Furnace companies were soon calling wanting to buy trucks for their business. Ray and Bud would build trucks and Bud would head out of town to deliver them. The New York Subway System bought “Pringle Mini Vacs.”

Before long, the demand for furnace-cleaning trucks required opening a shop and Pringle Manufacturing was born. In addition to the furnace-cleaning truck and cleaning business, they built projects for aircraft carriers and cabs for pea harvesters. In the late 1960s, the idea of capturing water from the Columbia River and creating pivot irrigation systems looked like an opportunity. Bud and his friend, Con Tucker, a Walla Walla wheat rancher, looked at the possibilities.

Soon Bud was creating his own system of “towers” and pivots and selling them to land owners willing to take fields of sand and scrub to create thousands of acres of wheat, barley, corn and fruit trees throughout the Columbia Basin and into Eastern Oregon. Later, some of those acres became vineyards.

From his manufacturing life, he and associates held U.S. patents for furnace cleaning, pivot irrigation and other machinery. Bud sold the business and went to work for Nelson Irrigation for a few years.

Con and Dee and their four children lived next to Bud’s family on Catherine Street. Somehow, Con and Bud struck up a relationship that began before Bud and Barb bought the Tucker house after the Tuckers built a new home. Bud’s and Barb’s relationship with Con and Dee and Dutch and Janette Hayner, mixed together with their children, made for great memories through two decades, including horses at the barn at “Little Acres,” ski trips and summer days at Priest Lake.

Somewhere along the line, Bud acquired a 1936 Ford 5 Window Rumble Seat Coupe. The girls drove it through their high school years. He figured he’d have an easy way to find them. After he set it aside for a few years, he completely restored the car literally from the frame up. Upon completion, Bud and Barb toured throughout the West, winning high point awards. After a trip to the Ford Rotunda in Dearborn, Mich., Bud sold the car to a collector looking for the best 1936 Ford 5 Window Rumble Seat Coupe for his collection in Waco, Texas.

The Denny Building in Walla Walla came up for sale and Bud and Barb bought it. Bud decided to update the building’s interior. He became its janitor during the day and worked nights remodeling. He needed help and a young fellow, Allen Ketelsen, showed up. Through hot summer and cold winter nights, they worked away at the building and a bond was formed.

Allen soon started a construction company of his own and Bud began working on projects for Allen. Bud enjoyed working with Allen through their last project together in 2010. Allen faithfully visited daily to the day Bud died.

Bud liked to rise early and head out to work. He met with Allen, Bill Adams and others at 7 a.m., five days a week at Coffee Perk. Bobby Freeman, Stew Reynolds, Virgil Whiteley, Lee Stone, his high school buddy Gene Valaer, Scott Armentrout, Ted Tucker and others; in the first years at Loney’s, then at the Plaza Safeway at 10 a.m., six days a week for “coffee.” On Saturdays he met at 7 a.m. at John’s Bakery, checking up on John, with Allen, John Abbott, Val Jensen, Richard Knipe and others.

Bud had a quick mind for numbers, an eye for 1936 Fords; clear detail of commercial buildings and was a meticulous detailer and clean. His children, grandchildren and friends feared him at ping pong. He knew exactly where the best root beer freeze and French dip sandwich were in multiple states.

Bud had a firm handshake, looking you straight in the eye while giving you a smile of welcome. His handshake was his word. He hugged his daughters, always checking their teeth, and their children and grandchildren. He gave ferocious back rubs, took them for rides in the ‘gator at the farm before the kids jumped into the creek.

Bud had an approving twinkle in his eyes. Bud and Barb were first of the family to arrive on Sunday mornings at the VA Chapel to hear Chaplain Ben Vegors. Family and friends will miss Bud and Barb walking hand in hand down the street. No one will forget Bud’s heart, humor and love for them.

Surviving with his loving wife, Barbara, are Pam (Michael) Bendix; children, Keith and Renae (Cooper, Gannon), Tricia and Brian Wilson (Seth, Sara, Grady), Mike and Veronica (Emily, Mia). Debbie (Dr. Scott) Mohrland; children, Dr. Michael and Charis (David, Caleb, Noah, Zoe), Rob and Susan (Caden, Caris Cameron), Meghan and Vince Lewis (Sara and baby boy, 02/16); and Anna Terri (Dan) Evered; Matt and Marvel (Jax); Staci and David Gierok (Dillon and Ellie Rae).

Bud was a member of Rotary Club, the Elks and the Walla Walla Country Club.

The family is grateful for Peter and Nancy from Walla Walla Community Hospice. A Celebration of Life will be Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 11 a.m., at Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder St., Walla Walla. A reception will be held following at the Marcus Whitman Hotel.

If you’re so inclined, instead of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Walla Walla Community Hospice, 1067 Isaacs Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362 or the Christian Aid Center, Walla Walla Rescue Mission, 202 W. Birch St., PO Box 56, Walla Walla WA 99362, or a charity of your choice through Herring Groseclose Funeral Home. Otherwise, please give someone a hug and scratch their back.

Arrangements are with Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder St., Walla