Yolo County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....PRITCHARD , Rulon Morris 'Lonny'  December 24 2003
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Peggy B. Perazzo pbperazzo@comcast.net June 28, 2004, 8:28 pm

Woodland "Daily Democrat," Sunday, January 04, 2004
Rulon 'Lonny' Pritchard

Rulon Morris "Lonny" Pritchard died in Woodland on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2003
after a courageous battle with lung cancer.

Known to many of his Woodland friends and customers as "the man in the red hat,"
Lonny was the owner and operator of the Electric Garage Company, the Dodge,
Chrysler, and Plymouth auto dealership at Third and Main Street. Established by
Lonny's grandfather William Dahler in 1909, the Electric Garage Company was the
oldest, single-family owned dealership/service garage in the United States.
Though retaining ownership of the Main Street building and property, Lonny
closed the Electric Garage upon its 90th anniversary and his own retirement in
1999. Hoblit and Haynes Chrysler Dealership now conducts business at that location.

Born in Woodland on October. 17, 1937 to Dorothy and Morris Pritchard, Lonny
attended Holy Rosary Elementary Academy, later graduating from Woodland High
School in 1955. As a young boy, Lonny developed a passion for cars and
airplanes, putting to memory every make and model of American aircraft and
automobile produced. Remarkably, Lonny flew his first solo flight by the age of
ten (much to his mother's anxiety and his father's delight), piloting his
father's 1946 Taylorcraft monoplane over the valley's skyways. He was also very
active in the Cub and Boy Scouts, eventually becoming a decorated Eagle Scout in
1952. In 1954, Lonny was accepted into the Woodland High School Cadet Corps,
becoming Captain of Company B 19th Battalion in 1955. The 19th Battalion marched
in several parades and participated in many events and field meets, earning
several high honors under Lonny's leadership.

After graduating high school, Lonny entered the United States National Guard,
serving as Master Sergeant until he retired from service in 1968. Lonny often
remarked that his time in the National Guard was one of the most rewarding
periods of his life.

From 1961 to 1963, Lonny worked as Assistant Service Manager for the
Simon-Shockmeyer Mercedes Auto Dealership in Santa Monica, California. He was an
expert mechanic, beginning his training as a small boy under his grandfather
William's tutelage. During his time in Santa Monica, Lonny also had a small
repair shop where he worked on high performance sports cars. Few knew that
celebrities such as Eddie Albert, Harry Carey Jr., Mercedes McCambridge, Richard
Widmark, and Vincent Minelli, among others, were his private customers. Though
only 25 years old, Lonny was offered a partnership at Simon-Shockmeyer, but he
forfeited this tremendous opportunity to come back to Woodland to help his
father with the family business. Lonny assumed the service manager's position at
the Electric Garage in 1963, then ownership in the mid-seventies. During Lonny's
early tenure in the automotive business, he was honored with numerous service
awards from the Studebaker Corporation; later he would become Chrysler
Corporation's most awarded automotive dealer, receiving its prestigious "Five
Star Award" for Excellence in Sales and service, more times than any other dealer.

After his retirement in 1999, Lonny continued to be involved in the automotive
business, still assisting and advising long-time customers with service and new
car orders through the Hoblit and Haynes dealership, and continued to be an
active participant in the National Automotive Dealers Association, of which he
had been a member for over 40 years. He thoroughly enjoyed musical theatre,
supporting the Woodland Opera House, Music Circus, and the Sacramento Life Opera
and Broadway Associations. Lonny would often make gifts of tickets to various
shows so that others, who may not be able to otherwise, could share in his
enthusiasm for song and dance. An ardent collector his whole life, Lonny started
collecting stamps as young boy, continued with an impressive coin and model car
collection, even choosing thimbles as a whimsical later addition to his varied
collection. But Lonny's greatest treasure was his sense of humor - his
wonderfully tart sarcasm, wit, and ability to make people laugh.

Privately, Lonny was an annual supporter and benefactor of over fifty charities,
national and local organizations and causes, including AARP; Special Olympics;
Veterans of Foreign Wars; Yolo County Red cross; Friends of the Yolo Archives;
Yolo Hospice Society; Holy Rosary Church; Summer House; Woodland Youth Baseball;
Christian Camps for Blind Children; Towe Auto Museum; United Way; Disabled
Veterans; Yolo County Fair, and many more.

Lonny is survived by his son, Stephen Pritchard of Sacramento; his daughter,
Dorothy "Doty" Huber and her husband, Robert Huber of Woodland; grandchildren,
Johnathan, David, and Olivia Huber; and his fiancee, Yvonne LeMaitre of Woodland.

A memorial service will be held at the Woodland Opera House, Second and Main
Streets, at 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004. Arrangements are under the
direction of McNary's Chapel of Woodland.

The family requests that memorial donations be made to Yolo County Hospice, P.O.
Box 1014, Davis 95616; or to one of the above listed organizations.

(A photograph of Mr. Pritchard is included with this obituary.)


Additional Comments:
Submitted with the permission of the "The Daily Democrat," 711 Main St.,
Woodland, CA 95695.  

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