Ray Printz, 71 of Spearfish, went to be with the Lord on August 6, 2012.

Memorial service will be at 1:00 pm, Saturday, September 15, 2012 at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel in Spearfish. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to stop polio and to the American Heart Association.

Ray was born on July 23, 1941 to Raymond and Martha Printz in Pennsylvania and grew up on a ten acre farm. At the age of seven Ray was stricken with Polio and became paralyzed in his legs. He spent time in hospitals and had a various surgeries, in high school he chose to major in the agriculture class. After high school he became a welder and farmer. Ray spent his life working as a welder, heavy equipment operator, mechanic, farmer and thoroughbred racehorse breeder.

He lived on his first farm in Coopersburg PA, and then moved to upstate PA to a larger farm. He was married and had a son, Mark who died tragedy in a motorcycle accident at age 22. The marriage did not last the grief of Mark's death. Ray chose to visit all the states in the United States upon retirement. He made it to Hawaii to visit his sister but the one state he never got to was Rhode Island. His travels also took him to Alaska on his Honda 250cc motorcycle with only a tent and sleeping bag for his comfort. After many, many miles of travel, his heart settled on the Black Hills where he met Pam.

He is survived by his sisters, Carolyn Dan, Hawaii and Nancy Baith, Pennsylvania; half sister, Bonnie Hamilton; his companion, Pam Nowell, Spearfish; and many nieces and nephews, and friends.

We will always miss the generous man of many stories. Ray was a dignified man, who never let his disability define him, but his sincerity in being a big brother, friend and companion.