Elaine Pringle | 1932 - 2023
Obituaries-Mobridge / Posted Apr 25, 2023 | 11:07 AM / 436 views
The memorial service for Elaine Pringle will be held Friday, May 5th, 2023 at 10:30 am at Kesling Funeral Home in Mobridge. She passed away at Mobridge Regional Hospital on April 22, 2023, just two days shy of her 91st birthday.
Elaine Edythe Erickson was born on April 24, 1932, in Rice Lake, WI to Edwin and Pearle (Barnes) Erickson, and was raised in the Spooner WI area. During her school years she was very active in music, participating in several vocal solo and ensemble contests and singing in church. She also played piano and accordion. She would often tag along with her brothers Gary and Marv, who played in area dance bands. She eventually was recruited to play piano with them. She graduated from Spooner High School in 1949 and continued to play piano and accordion for dances.
While she was playing, Elaine met fellow musician William Lake. They married and had four children. Eventually they moved to nearby Hayward, WI, where the two of them continued to play in local clubs and ski resorts. He passed away very unexpectedly.
On July 1, 1962, Elaine married Ronald C. Pringle. They continued to live in the area, where he worked as a law enforcement officer. After their daughter, Ruth, was born, the family moved to Iowa where Ronald attended Palmer Chiropractic College. The family later moved to Mobridge, where he established the Mobridge Chiropractic Office. Elaine took classes to become the Chiropractic Assistant, and they worked together in the office for many years.
During her years in Mobridge, Elaine was very active in Trinity Lutheran Church. She alternated between singing in the choir, directing the choir, and playing the organ. She also gave piano and organ lessons out of her home. Later she became the primary piano player for Sacred Word Lutheran Church, a job that she loved and kept well into her 89th year. Elaine was also an avid knitter and crocheter. She made over 200 prayer shawls and kept her daughters and granddaughters supplied with hand knit socks. She was very proud that she was able to live independently at home. She entered Mobridge Regional Hospital on April 1, 2023, and passed away three weeks later.
She is survived by her children: Jack Pringle, Mobridge; Lynne (Douglas) Schmoll, Pelican Rapids, MN; Bill Pringle, Mandan, ND; Kathy “Kat” Talamantes, Mobridge; and Ruth (Mitch) Butler, Cody, WY; her stepson: Rodney (Donna) Pringle, Hayward, WI; her grandchildren: Karissa Swanson, Moorhead, MN; Ryan (Maya) Schmoll, Fargo, ND; Christin Gilbertson, Custer, SD; Tina (Michael) Lajko, Cody, WY; Mike (Missy) Butler, Fergus Falls, MN; Joe (Shannon) Butler, Bemidji, MN; her step-granddaughter Shannon (Jordan) Debord, Golden Valley, MN; several great-grandchildren and one great-grandson; and six nieces and two nephews.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Bill; her husband of 57 years, Ronald; her parents; her brothers and their wives: Garold and Laura Erickson, and Marvin and Florence Erickson: her stepdaughter: Deborah Venjohn; her nephew: Douglas Erickson; and her infant great-grandson Caleb Gimbel.
Burial will be at Greenwood Cemetery in Mobridge.