Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Harry Raymond Prongue was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, in 1948, to Rose and Harry Russell Prongue. Harry had four siblings: Ellen, David, Joseph and Nancy. In 1951, the family moved to Southern California. Harry was happy all the time. He excelled in school and even took time to educate himself in addition to his studies. By the age of 12, Harry was saving his quarters to take the bus to downtown Los Angeles by himself to look at landmarks. He noticed every detail and went to the library to do follow-up research on the history of buildings and architecture. Out of a natural curiosity, he enjoyed furthering his knowledge. Even when the family went to Disneyland, he figured out how the rides worked. He enjoyed family trips to places such as Yosemite, but he was not fond of the bears. With endless energy, he also had a great interest in journalism. He became the editor and a writer for the high school newspaper, where his brother David also drew cartoons for the print edition paper.

After graduating from high school, Harry went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from California State University Long Beach in 1971. For more than three years, he worked as a History and English teacher at Aviation High School in Manhattan Beach. He worked as a manager for McDonalds and was involved in setting up construction of new stores. He also owned his own fast food businesses for a few years. After moving away from the South Bay area, he relocated to West Los Angeles where he became a Real Estate Agent, Theatrical Producer and Civic Activist. His work with people in the theatre and motion picture business led to his work as a Board Member with the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation. For 16 years, he worked as a Producer for S.T.A.G.E. (Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event). He led a civic effort to preserve a public park at 1000 Kings Road in West Los Angeles. Harry also produced "Last of the Honky Tonk Angels," at the Globe Theatre, West Hollywood. Over the last three decades, he was a passionate supporter of AIDS related charities, AIDS Project L.A., Actors Fund of America, and PAWS.

Harry led a very active, outward directed life. He was a gentle person who was concerned with people. He didn’t take anything or anyone for granted and always understood history and people in a unique way. An equitable, impartial friend at home with people, from high strung celebrities to humble gardeners; Harry treated everyone with dignity and respect. A natural humanist and teacher, you would scarcely encounter him without learning something new. Harry had an encyclopedic knowledge of many things: business, history, the arts, motion pictures and theatre. You’d better have your facts straight if contradicting him. He was fascinated by the City of Los Angeles, particularly its development, legends and architecture: for him, it was like as a stage with ever-changing scenery and characters. He could speak of L.A.’s past as if he had lived it. One of his driving passions was the desire to preserve historic buildings. This same broad outlook he extended out into the world. He both traveled widely, over physical space, but also through time. A world traveler, his favorite second homes were in Rome, Paris, New York, London, Germany, San Francisco - places whose past he intimately knew. When he took his mother to England and France, he gave her an incredible tour while offering a detailed history.

Harry loved his family, making time for holiday and annual gatherings. He especially enjoyed Christmas celebrations with family at Ellen or Nancy’s home. He also loved his nieces and nephews. Harry had many favorites in life. He loved gardening and flowers. His favorite music was from Broadway, especially music by Judy Garland. He loved songs, dance and the theatre. He enjoyed reading books, which ran the gamut of topics including history, theatre, music and celebrity biographies. His taste in reading materials was eclectic while he enjoyed high-end publications such as the New Yorker, Harpers and the New York Times. He was accepting of all people and wasn’t easily rattled. As a result, he was willing to step up and work on issues with passion and dedication. Harry was willing to stand up for those who didn’t have a voice and he and countless others spoke out for the victims of AIDS. He always did what he could to help and make things better. His advice now would be: Don’t give up.

Harry was preceded in death by his father. Harry is loved by his entire family: his mother, Rose; sister Ellen; brother David; brother Joseph; and sister Nancy; seven nieces and nephews; and hundreds of friends.

Memorial donations are welcome to S.T.A.G.E. (www.stagela.com), AIDS Project Los Angeles (www.apla.org), or Children’s Hospital (www.childrenshospitalla.org). He loved children and they loved him. His family will miss everything about Harry, especially his trustworthy advice. Harry Raymond Prongue will be remembered as a man who was loved by everyone…