February 19, 2025

Obituary: Donald ‘The Farmer’ Prill

By AgriNews Staff
Nancy Dinelli-Prill and her husband, Don, hold one of the numerous works of art Nancy has painted. Family members featured in the painting include their son, Kevin; daughter, Gretchen; and Don with his champion heifer he showed at a Wisconsin fair in 1966.

Nancy Dinelli-Prill and her husband, Don, hold one of the numerous works of art Nancy has painted. Family members featured in the painting include their son, Kevin; daughter, Gretchen; and Don with his champion heifer he showed at a Wisconsin fair in 1966. (AgriNews photo/Martha Blum)

Donald Prill, 92, of Platteville, Wisconsin, passed away Feb. 7. He was born on April 16, 1932, in Big Bend, Wisconsin, to Arthur and Louise (Knurr) Prill.

He graduated from Waterford High School in 1950. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1953, running heavy equipment to build airstrips on the island of Guam near the end of the Korean War.

Upon completing his military service, Don attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry in 1959.

He had a long career as a farm manager for several cattle operations in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Don married Nancy Dinelli in 1962. She recounted her life and adventures with “The Farmer” in a popular weekly column in AgriNews for over four decades, until she retired in 2018.

He was a passionate fan of the Green Bay Packers, warm beer and Hereford cattle — in no particular order.

Don is survived by his wife, Nancy, son Kevin (Tracy), and daughters Gretchen Bimrose and Alicia (Arnold) Prill-Adams, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Melby Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the family. There will not be any visitation or formal services.

Online condolences can be expressed at www.melbyfh.com.

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AgriNews Staff

AgriNews Staff

The Illinois AgriNews and Indiana AgriNews staff is in the field each week, covering topics that affect local farm families and their businesses. We give readers information they can’t get elsewhere to help them make better farming decisions.