Gary Stevens Prahl

Gary Stevens Prahl was born June 19, 1950 in New Ulm, Minnesota to Herbert Huntley Prahl and Janet Lindsay Stevens Prahl.  After a short time in Minnesota, Gary and family moved to Corvallis, Oregon where they established a farmstead.  Gary grew up in Corvallis working on the family farm with his siblings Patti, Robert, Terry, Barbara and Geri.  At a young age Gary took to working on cars, hunting, fishing and palling around with his younger brother Robert “Bob”.  Gary attended the University of Oregon where he was a linebacker and defensive tackle for the Duck’s football team, where he attained the nickname of “Groc”.  Gary remained a diehard Ducks fan until his passing.  As a young adult, Gary worked as a commercial fisherman and eventually made his move into his local Les Schwab Tire Center.  Gary was a dedicated Les Schwab employee starting in 1974, eventually moving to the company’s main headquarters in Prineville, Oregon in 1986 where he remained until his retirement in 2014.  Gary met the love of his life, Cindy, in 1986 and knew immediately she was the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.  Gary and Cindy were married in 1987, and Cindy brought her daughter Breann along into their marriage and Gary won Breann’s heart as quickly as he did Cindy’s.  Gary was a resolute husband to Cindy and a steadfast father figure to Breann, eventually adopting Breann in 2006.  Gary enjoyed working on cars, owning more cars during his life than any of his family can actually recall, but most remembered was his award winning 1964 Corvette.  Gary was an AVID hunter; tagging some remarkable animals to include deer, antelope, rocky mountain big horn sheep and his most favorite to hunt, elk, with his prized 6X6 “Bullwinkle” hanging from his living room wall.  As a hunting enthusiast, Gary also was an extremely active member of the Ochoco Chapter of the Oregon Hunter’s Association. He was a lifetime member of the NRA.  Gary’s favorite pastime was spending time with his Granddaughter Brooklyn; giving her rides on his shoulders as he mowed the lawn, taking her to the park, picking her up from school, going to McDonalds for lunch and listening to the Beach Boys together.  Gary was preceded in death by his mother Janet, father Herbert and brother Bob.  He is survived by his wife Cindy, daughter Breann, granddaughter Brooklyn, his four sisters, numerous nieces and nephews and numerous close friends.  Gary passed peacefully on October 2nd, 2020 with the Lord and his family by his side. In lieu of flowers you can make contributions to a charity of your choice.

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