Gary Prunty Obituary

Gary Allen Prunty

October 18, 1952 - December 11, 2023

ELKO - "The mountains are calling and I must go." - John Muir

Gary Allen Prunty was born in Elko, Nevada on October 18, 1952 to Frank "Shorty" and Marge Prunty, and following a rich, adventure-filled life, passed away at his Elko home on December 11, 2023.

Gary grew up on the family ranch in Charleston alongside his brother Richard "Dick" Prunty and a passel of cousins, many of whom remained his dear friends throughout his life. From the time he was a child, Gary had a deeply kind heart and a lively sense of humor. He was a born comedian, storyteller, and fun-lover. At any family gathering through the years, stories Gary told (or stories told about Gary) were a mainstay and source of much laughter. He could tell jokes and do card tricks for hours, and played a mean game of cribbage. Although he had no children of his own, he loved kids and had an innate ability to connect with young people of all ages.

At an early age he started accompanying Shorty guiding deer hunters, and he carried on the family's outfitting business for many years before passing it along to his nieces and their husbands. Throughout his life, he loved the mountains, mountain man lore, his "mountain horses" and wildlife, and was an avid collector of wildlife art.

Gary was probably best known for his carpentry career. He was a wizard with math and measurements and could build anything with wood. He worked on countless projects in the Elko area, including numerous custom homes and several historical community fixtures such as the Sherman Station and the Cowboy Arts & Gear Museum. He retired as one of the most sought-after finish carpenters in the region.

Gary loved all kinds of sports, both as a spectator and participant. He enjoyed watching everything from the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) to the Olympics, and attended the NFR in Las Vegas for well over 30 years. He was a huge fan of his friends' children's athletic careers as well.

He played football and participated in track and field events in high school, and went on to become an accomplished bodybuilder as well as earning his black belt in karate. For years, he had a bright yellow ski boat named Gone Bananas, and waterskiied at many lakes and reservoirs in the west. Perhaps surprisingly, he was also an excellent dancer, and taught western swing dance classes in several northern Nevada towns. Much of Gary's life revolved around hunting, both as a guide and as a hunter. He hunted elk, caribou, moose, antelope, deer, and mountain lions, but killing a grizzly bear in Alaska was the highlight of his many hunting adventures.

With anything Gary did, he went all in. Next to his full-mount grizzly bear, his Harley Davidson was one of his most prized possessions. He even rode it to Sturgis for the annual biker rally one year, accompanied by his cousin and dear friend, Mike Plunkett. Photography was another one of his hobbies, and he kept meticulously organized albums of all of his adventures from Alaska to South Dakota.

Gary is survived by his nieces and their husbands, Rolly and Becky Lisle and John and Kyla Rianda, four great-nephews and one great-niece, as well as many cousins and friends. Special thanks to Gary's life-long friend, Pat Laughlin and to Leatha Morse, who took excellent care of him and helped ease his last days, and to Gary's cousin, Dona Jones, for taking his good old dog, Tip.

A celebration of life will be planned at a later date.