Pridemore, Floyd W., 1913-2009

Pridemore (1913-2009) was born in Northfield and grew up in Stillwater (Minnesota).

As a teenager, his family moved often between Beloit and Milwaukee (Wisconsin). After graduating from North Division High School in Milwaukee in 1933, Pridemore rode boxcars for a few months between Chicago, St. Paul, and northern Wisconsin, eventually getting a job as a logger in Glidden (Wisconsin). In 1940, he returned to Milwaukee to begin a plumbing apprenticeship. He deferred the draft for a few months to finish his apprenticeship, then enlisted in the Navy in 1942. Pridemore served with the 96th Navy Seabees in the Azores in 1944 during the D-Day Invasion and in the Philippines in 1945. He married his girlfriend of six years while home on furlough. After the war, Pridemore became a master plumber, working for several companies and clients in the Milwaukee area. He was a life member of the VFW and American Legion and participated in several reunions of the 96th Seabees. After retiring, Pridemore moved to Arkansas.

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