OBITUARY: MONROE PAUL PRANGE

 There was probably not a day in Monroe Prange’s life where he did not experience discomfort, if not pain. 

And yet, he loved every minute of his life, and fought for every minute more. 

His motto: “One day at a time.” 

His gift: He loved other people, taking care of them, cheering on their triumphs. He cared about you, and us, and them. 

When the end was nigh and his body failing, Monroe undertook his final round of dialysis, and then he began to make the phone calls. Dozens of phone calls. To say his thank you’s and goodbyes. “One more,” he’d say after finishing a call. Then, “one more” after the next. 

A call to Mary Mae Kilpatrick. A final prayer in a voicemail from Aaron Schat. 

And then, surrounded by loved ones, he made the final call on September 25, 2024 and was called upstairs. 

Monroe was born in Bishop in 1971 to Paul and Linda Prange. He enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the small community of Rovana, which housed many of the miners who worked nearby at Union Carbide’s Pine Creek Mine. 

It was one of those tight-knit places where mom would shuffle you out of the house in the morning and you’d go hang out with your friends until dark. 

Monroe was both one of the pack, and yet, uniquely other. 

He suffered from an insidious kidney disease called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). 

As his de facto (They could not marry for it would affect Monroe’s access to health care) wife of almost two decades Anna Taplin simplified, FSGS creates a hardening of the blood in the kidneys. 

By the age of five, a kindergartner, Monroe had already learned to catheterize himself at school to relieve his bladder. 

Nails, this guy. 

By the time he reached his senior year of high school (BUHS class of 1990), he’d had 33 surgeries. And his mother, who never left his side, had probably spent the equivalent of a full year at the L.A. Children’s Hospital sleeping in his room in a recliner. 

Clearly, he was not built for a future in the mine like his grandfather and father before him. But what Monroe did possess in spades was that gift with others. He was a one-man charm offensive. And what suited him was the restaurant business – his stops included the old Paradise restaurant, Sizzler (where Schat’s Roadhouse is now), the Village Cafe (since torn down) and Back Alley Bowl. 

He started dialysis his senior year of high school. 

When he was in his early 20s, Monroe’s father gave him a kidney for transplant. That lasted seven years. His sister Ginelle then gave him another kidney. That worked for five. 

After that, it was dialysis. At home. Ten hours a day.

But by then, Anna had entered his life. 

Monroe’s mother Linda worked in Anna’s Round Valley Elementary classroom as a teacher’s aide. That’s how she was introduced. 

And then Anna began frequenting The Sizzler, where Monroe worked. 

It didn’t take him long, she says, to figure out why she was frequenting The Sizzler. 

Their first date: A roadtrip to the Crystal Cathedral Easter service in Garden Grove. 

Wrapped around a medical appointment, but no matter. 

Faith was an integral part of Monroe’s life. Both he and Anna were/are active in the Neighborhood Church in Bishop. 

The two passages he chose for his memorial service were Psalm 23 and Exodus 14:14

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 

3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Exodus 14:14

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” 

——-

Monroe was an eclectic guy. He liked his LEGOs, his M&Ms and his Kansas City Chiefs. 

Some affectionately called him “The Mayor” – he knew people, loved people and connected people. 

And they loved him back. For example, Lisa Davis and Sierra LifeFlight fulfilled Monroe’s wish (at no charge) to die at home (versus in a hospital in Reno). 

He is survived by his loving wife Anna, his mother Linda; sister Ginelle Prange; brother Tye Prange (Stefannye); sister-in-law Sarah Simpson (Brian); and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Paul in 2022. 

In his memory please consider a donation to the Neighborhood Church Youth Camps or the National Kidney Foundation.