Mesothelioma claims the life of U.S. Army veteran

Nov 9, 2009

Donald Pritchard of Ellicottville, New York died of mesothelioma on October 17 at the age of 73. Pritchard served with the U.S. Army in Germany after graduating from high school in 1954. He then spent over 40 years as a construction superintendent with various firms, including L.C. Whitford, Barnes Construction and John Luther and Son. One of his proudest accomplishments was the work he did on the Olympic bobsled run at Lake Placid for the 1980 Olympics. He was also involved in the construction of a county building, the county jail, a mall, a high school and his own home.

Both his time in the military and his construction experience put Pritchard at risk for coming into contact with the toxic substance asbestos, which was commonly used in building materials for many years. Asbestos exposure is what caused him to develop mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer, which took his life.

Pritchard served as Mayor of Little Valley during the 1970s. More recently, he served on the Ellicottville Zoning Board. He was also part of the Ellicottville Rotary and the Carpenters Union Local 66, where he had previously served as union president. Pritchard also did volunteer work with the library, the Salvation Army and Ameri Tool.

A memorial service was held on October 20 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. He was given full military honors by the American Legion Post 659 Ellicottville. Instead of flowers, the family requested to have memorial donations made to the Donald J. Pritchard Mesothelioma Trust.

For the full story, go to The Post-Journal.

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