Obituary of Elmer G W Prien

Elmer Gustav William Prien, age 89 of Mt. Juliet, passed away August 16, 2020. Elmer was born on April 7, 1931 to parents Gustav and Minnie (Blume) Prien in rural Dimock, South Dakota. He spent his early life on the family farm near Stickney, SD before moving to the Chicago area, where he spent the majority of his years. Elmer served in the United States Air Force for four years, after which he had a long career in construction and agricultural fertilization. In 1958 he married Patsy Hale, with whom he had five children. He spent the last 20 years of his life married to the love of his life, Marion Prien. He spent many years raising his children in Wheaton, Illinois until moving to Mt. Juliet, Tennessee in 2016. Elmer, remembered by some as the “Colonel”, and others fondly as “Papa,” was happiest when riding on a snowmobile. In 1992, he went on the Alaskan Challenge Snowmobile Safari and traveled 1600 miles on a sled from Tumbler Ridge, BC to Fairbanks, Alaska. He loved gathering his family together for cookouts and provided endless entertainment with his incredible sense of humor. His favorite past times were attending the yearly Blume Prien family reunion in Stickney, SD. Elmer always found time to help others working on some project. He is survived by his wife, Marion, Mt. Juliet, TN; his sister, Mabel Schmit, Winner, SD; four children: Wayne (Doe) Prien, Huron, SD, Donna Prien, Dacula, GA, Sandra (Lee) Ross, Lexington, TN, Tammy (Britt) Franklin, Edgewater, FL; three step-children; Vivian (Ernie) Villegas, Bob Mundorf, Cheryl Bauer; step-granddaughter, Jennifer (Chris) Lehman; seven grandchildren: Jeremy Prien, Michelle (Matt) Simmons, Danielle (Ryan) Caswell, Zachary Prien, Lyndsay Ramberg, Kevin (Charlotte) Ramberg, Shana Ables; step-great-grandchildren; Devyn Bauer, Dustin Bauer, Nicholas Lehman, Noah Lehman; seven great-grandchildren: Nathaniel, Dalton and Octavia Prien, Chase, Charlie Caswell, Amara, and Alaric Ramberg. Nieces and nephews; other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Jennifer Dee Prien; his step-son Dennis Mundorf; his parents; four brothers; Frederick, Norman, Walter, and Raymond; four sisters; Esther, Agnes, Marie, and Bertha. Funeral service will be held Wednesday, August 19th at Sellars Funeral Home at Mt. Juliet at 11:00 am with Bro. Joshua Sizemore officiating. Interment will follow the service at Mt. Juliet Memorial Gardens with Wayne Prien, Jeremy Prien, Zachary Prien, Kevin Ramberg, Matt Simmons and Lee Ross serving as pallbearers. Visitation with the family will be Tuesday, August 18th from 4-8 pm and Wednesday, August 19th from 10 am until time of service. Memorial contributions may be made to: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org Arrangements by Sellars Funeral Home at Mt. Juliet, 2229 N. Mt. Juliet Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122, 615-758-5459, obituary line 615-758-8818, www.sellarsfuneralservices.com