Richard Lee Pry

Richard Lee Pry, 90, of Burkittsville, passed away on Friday, September 27, 2024, with his children by his side. Born on February 15, 1934, in Burkittsville, MD, Richard was the son of the late Outerbridge Luther and Helen Elizabeth Wolfe Pry. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Patricia May Foltz Pry, just nine short months ago. 

Richard was a lifelong member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Burkittsville, MD. While attending church, at just 16 years old, he met the love of his life, Patty. They were married for 68 years and together built a family legacy surrounded by faith in God, love of family and friends, the importance of community and hard work. 

Richard was a well-known and beloved bus driver for FCPS (Brunswick High, Middle and Elementary School) for 43 years. He prided himself on delivering thousands of students safely to and from school and after school activities each day. During those years he was more than just a driver - he was a counselor, a confidant, and a reliable and trustworthy adult in his students’ lives. He served the agricultural and rural community with the same passion and commitment. He was a seed corn distributor for many years with Gutwein Seeds. He was a Charter Member of the Burkittsville Ruritan, a lifelong member of the FFA, he served on the board of directors for the Farmers Coop, the Brunswick Coop, the Farm Service Agency County Board and the Frederick County Farm Bureau. His farming achievements include being awarded Frederick County’s Farm Family of the Year in 2020 and in 2021 his family farm was recognized as a Century Farm by the State of Maryland. 

He dedicated his life to serving the Lord. He taught Sunday School his entire adult life, served on the Church Council for countless years, was a guest speaker at many local rally days at various churches throughout the Middletown Valley and he offered up the most thoughtful invocations at every family gathering and meeting he attended. 

Richard lived in the Brunswick school district but convinced his parents and the school board to allow him to attend Middletown High School so that he could study agriculture. He graduated from Middletown High School, President of his Senior Class, in 1952 and went on to serve as President of the Maryland State FFA (Future Farmers of America). 

Richard was born and raised in his family’s farmhouse on Lee’s Lane, and he later moved a mile up the road to start his life with his new bride. He was very proud to have spent his entire lifetime living and farming on “the lower” and “upper place” of Needwood Farms with his wife, children and grandchildren. While he raised cattle and grew small grains, his most valued “crop” was his family. His farming days evolved from using humans and horses to work the land to utilizing modern equipment and technologies to operate the farm. 

Richard is survived by his son, Tim Pry and wife Gail, daughters, Vicki Gordon, Kelli Wilson and husband Raymond, all of Burkittsville. He was predeceased by his son, Richard “Scott” Pry. He had four grandchildren, Keith Pry and wife Julie, Mark Pry, and Allie and Jack Wilson (fiancée, Katrina Eisentraut) and six great-grandchildren, Faith, Scott, Max, Ethan, Grace and Hope Pry. He was a bonus grandfather to both the Strickland and Bailey families. He is survived by his loving sisters-in-law, Shirley Ridgeway, Donna Wenner, Delores Axline, Carole Foltz and Geraldlene Sigler. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, David Pry and David’s wife, Lynn, his brothers-in-law, Gene Foltz, Merrell Foltz, Buz Barger, and Lee Ridgeway, his sister-in-law, Rose Barger and his granddaughter-in-law, Cesse Ip. He remained close to his foster siblings, Carroll Smith and Robert Toms and he shared a special bond with the Bondarenko family, David Wolfe, Chance Smith and the Arnold boys (David, Michael, Richard and Robert). 

Richard will forever be remembered for his dancing baby blue eyes, his belly laugh, his hearty handshake, giving the best bear hugs and traveling between his two farms on Rt. 17 in his skid loader with his dog, Rosie, sitting beside him. 

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, October 2, from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm at Stauffer Funeral Home, 1100 North Maple Avenue, Brunswick, MD. A celebration of Richard’s life will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Thursday, October 3 at 10 am. The church is located at 5 East Main Street in Burkittsville. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the Visiting Angels and Frederick County Hospice for their loving care. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, PO Box 400; Burkittsville, MD 21718 or the Brunswick FFA Alumni c/o Danielle Kirkpatrick at 5423 Broad Run Rd; Jefferson, MD 21755. 

Expressions of sympathy may be offered to the family at StaufferFuneralHome.com.