OBITUARY: Doyle Ray Pruitt

Doyle Ray Pruitt, 72, died March 16, 2023, of recently diagnosed cancer at his home with his family by his side.

Doyle was born March 15, 1951, in Bakersfield, CA, the son of Walter & Rosie (Carter) Pruitt. He was raised in Riverside, CA with his parents and 11 siblings and graduated from Moreno Valley High School. He also received a diploma with highest honors in the Basic Electrician Course at NRI McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center.

Doyle worked at Georgia Pacific, WA as a Mill Worker before moving to Drummond, MT in 1975. He worked for Carl Cassidy Post Yard at Maxville, MT as an Equipment Operator from 1971-1975. In 1979, he went to work mining for Cominco Fertilizers in Garrison, MT for 14 years until the mine shut down. During his time at Cominco, Doyle was also the Financial Secretary for the United Steel Workers. In April of 1994, he started working for Blackfoot Telecommunications as a lineman until his retirement in March 2017.

Doyle and Linda Ehrlich met in Drummond, MT and were united in marriage on October 17, 1981 in Drummond. Doyle then became a step-dad to Sheila and Marvin which was a blessing to us all. In 1998 Doyle and Linda moved to Howell Street in Missoula, MT and made that their home. Doyle put all his personal touches into the home which included building a two-car garage and storage shed.

Doyle had many talents and one of them was his various woodworking projects. He was always the go-to-guy for family & friends when something needed fixed no matter what it was. In his younger years, he enjoyed playing baseball, boating and water skiing. In the most recent years, he and Linda enjoyed their trips going south with their motorhome and they loved riding their ATV's at the Sand Dunes. He spent a lot of time in the summers keeping an immaculate yard and garden - sometimes this included catching pesky squirrels and releasing them into the nearby mountains. He also enjoyed & loved being a grandpa & great-grandpa.

Doyle was preceded in death by his parents Walter & Rosie, sister Pearl Wright & brother David.

He is survived by his wife Linda of Missoula, daughter Sheila (Randy) Wangler, Missoula, son Marvin (Donna) Kramer, Rifle, CO, Four grandchildren; Dustin (Ashley) Kramer, CO, Rayjean (Lucas) Roman, CO, Stephanie (Dave) Barnett, UT, Shawnee Wangler, MT. Five great-grandchildren; Quentin & Ava Kramer, Cody Roman, Kinsleigh & Landon Barnett. Four brothers; Charles, FL, Henry (Wanda), OK, Donald (Dixie), OR, & Hurshell (Pat), WA. Five sisters; June Whiting, OK, Mary Richardson, CA, Shirley Ryan, OR, Linda Pruitt, CA & Sharon (Bob) Biswell, OR.

A celebration of Doyle’s life will be held Thursday, June 29, 2023 at First Christian Church, 2701 S Russell St, Missoula, MT at 1:00 pm with a light luncheon following in the church’s reception room. After the luncheon, the Interment of ashes will be at the Missoula City Cemetery, 2000 Cemetery Rd, Missoula.