James Pridal
James L. Pridal, age 91, of Luverne, MN, formerly of Marshall and Taunton, MN, passed away Sunday, May 16, 2021, at the Minnesota Veteran's Home in Luverne, MN. Memorial services are pending at this time.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to With Angel Wings online at https://withangelwings.com/collections/donate or mailed to With Angel Wings C/O James Pridal Memorial, 1678 290th Street N., Taunton, MN 56291.
James LeRoy Pridal was born June 13, 1929, to Joseph and Mary (Veverka) Pridal in Canby, Minnesota. He was raised on a farm near Canby, MN, where he attended and graduated high school. Following high school, he worked on the farm. In 1948, he joined the Army National Guard and entered active duty in the United States Army on January 16, 1951, and served in the Army 47th Division during the Korean War, obtaining the rank of corporal.
James was united in marriage to Sylvia Skjei on September 21, 1951, at the Faith Lutheran Church in Madison, MN. On December 31, 1952, he was honorably discharged from the United States Army and fulfilled his commitment to the National Guard on July 1, 1953. He returned to the farm, where he and Sylvia raised their family. They retired from farming in 2008 and moved into Marshall, MN. In 2020, he entered the Minnesota Veteran’s Home in Luverne where he passed away Sunday, May 16, 2021, at the age of 91 years, 11 months and 3 days.
He was a member of the Living Word Lutheran Church in Marshall, MN. He was a former member of Bethel Lutheran Church, was a co-founder of the Canby Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet, member of Sons of Norway and American Legion. He served on the Burton Township Board and the Taunton Elevator Board and sold DeKalb seed. Jim had many enjoyments, including trapshooting, hunting, fishing, camping, reading, woodworking, playing cards, traveling, golfing, jigsaw puzzles, and he was a big fan of late model racing and Canby High School sports. In his high school years, he enjoyed playing sports. A few special memories of Jim’s were of Camp Rucker, Roadhaven, family trips, and being a part of the team that won the Little Sioux Conference in 1946. Jim showed great pride when talking about his family.
He is lovingly remembered by his wife, Sylvia Pridal of Sioux Falls, SD; four children, Cathryn (George Smith) Pridal of Kansas City, MO, Jerome (Teresa) Pridal of Slayton, MN, Sharon (Doug) Hunt of Sioux Falls, SD, and Daniel (Nancy) Pridal of Omaha, NE; eight grandchildren, Joe LoPiccolo, Jr., Michael Pridal-LoPiccolo, Jarrett Pridal, Stephen Pridal, Benjamin Hunt, Dylan Hunt, Christina Stavneak, and Joshua Hedglin; and nine great-grandchildren, Briella Pridal, Brenna Pridal, Anna Stavneak, Vanessa Cerone, Amina Maron, Laila Maron, Metta Maron, Cassim Hedglin and Lounes Hedglin.
James was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters and one brother; infant daughter, Mary Jo Pridal; great-granddaughter, Braylee Jo Pridal; and son-in-law, Joe LoPiccolo.