Maldwyn A. Pritchard

Boonville – Maldwyn Arvon Pritchard, 97, of Brown Road passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home on Thursday, March 9, 2023.

How do you condense a lifetime into a few paragraphs? That would be impossible when you consider the extraordinary life of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Maldwyn Arvon Pritchard. He grew up in Boonville and at the age of 17 had an earnest desire to spread his wings, so with his parents William J. and Cora Ingersoll Pritchard’s permission he headed to the Great Lakes Naval boot camp. That was where his adventure began, but it took him first to Australia, where he met and married Kathleen Johnson in 1944. After serving four years in the Navy during WWII he was honorably discharged and returned to Boonville.

Maldwyn then began employment at Wonderbread Co. in Utica. A year later he pursued a career in the Coast Guard which took his family to: Far Rockaway, NY, Cleveland, OH, San Diego and Long Beach, California, 1 year of isolated duty in Japan, and his final assignment at Governors Island, NYC. While stationed at Far Rockaway he became involved in 6-Day bike races volunteering with the French team. He himself accomplished a bike ride from NYC to Boonville and back to NYC using a race bike with a gloved hand for brakes.

His love and passion for horses brought him back to Boonville, where the family lived on the Cleo Hughes Horse farm. Here Maldwyn trained standard bred horses. He then attended farrier school in Indiana. In 1970 he bought and moved the family to a small farm, which is his current residence. Here he continued training horses, and along with his family cared for a variety of animals including cows, goats, sheep, turkeys, chickens, pigs, Norwegian Elkhounds, an alpaca, and of course horses and ponies. He cared for his final horse Henry up until he was 93. He mowed Stysh’s Brown Barn Campground through 2019. He always took pride in owning a Ford Pickup truck. As they say a life well lived, but too short.

Maldwyn was predeceased by his wife Kathleen, and a daughter Kathie Schleicher. He is survived by daughters: Dianne Venable, and Wendy Kessler (Danny); grandchildren: Jill Trainor (Nathan), Jimmie Thompson (Melody), Michael Thompson (Mary), Wendy Entwistle (Joshua), Bethany Hill (Patrick), Steven Schleicher and Jason Schleicher, several great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and his companion dog friend Prince.

All services will be held privately, with interment in Fairchild Cemetery, Remsen. Arrangements are in care of the Trainor Funeral Home, Inc. 143 Schuyler St. Boonville. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Lewis County Humane Society, P.O. Box #682, Lowville, New York 13367.