Mesothelioma and Asbestos

Donald Pritchard of Ellicottville, New York died of mesothelioma on October 17 at the age of 73. Pritchard served with the U.S. Army in Germany after graduating from high school in 1954. He then spent over 40 years as a construction superintendent with various firms, including L.C. Whitford, Barnes Construction as well as John Luther as well as Son. One of his proudest accomplishments was the work he did on the Olympic bobsled run at Lake Placid for the 1980 Olympics. He was as well as involved in the construction of a county building, the county jail, a mall, a high school as well as his own home.

Both his time in the soldierlike as well as his construction experience put Pritchard at risk for coming into contact with the toxic substance asbestos, which was commonly used in building materials for many years. Asbestos exposure is what caused him to develop mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer, which took his life.

Pritchard served as Mayor of Little Valley during the 1970s. More recently, he served on the Ellicottville Zoning Board. He was as well as part of the Ellicottville Rotary as well as the Carpenters Union Local 66, where he had previously served as union president. Pritchard as well as did volunteer work with the library, the Salvation Army as well as Ameri Tool.

A memorial service was held on October 20 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. He was given filled soldierlike honors by the American Legion Post 659 Ellicottville. Instead of flowers, the family requested to possess memorial donations made to the Donald J. Pritchard Mesothelioma Trust.

For the filled story, go to The Post-Journal.