James "Jim" Orlo Pringle, 87, passed away peacefully on May 30, 2026, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough, Maine. He was surrounded by the care and comfort of those who loved him. He had battled metastatic prostate cancer and a rare prostatic sarcoma for several years.
Jim was born on October 5, 1938 in Geneva, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Greenville, PA as part of a seven generation farm family in the close knit farming community of Western Pennsylvania. It was a heritage that shaped his values throughout his life. As a boy he spent time on his Grandparents dairy farm in Stoneboro, PA and working at his father's Pringle Feed Store in Greenville. He was active in the Boy Scouts and football and was President of his class. He graduated from Penn High in Greenville in 1956.
In 1960 he graduated from Pennsylvania State University where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and participated in Naval ROTC. Upon graduation he entered the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. Following OCS he served aboard the USS Perkins, home ported in San Diego, California. Jim often spoke fondly of his years in the Navy where he sailed the Pacific serving as a navigator and operations officer. He served with distinction for four years attaining the rank of Lieutenant.
During his naval service Jim developed a growing interest in medicine. After leaving the Navy in 1964, he decided not to return home to work with his father's feed business or grandfather's farm. Instead he attended Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio to take the required PreMed studies to enter Medical School. He pursued his medical studies at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine receiving his M.D. in 1970. While in medical school he met Jane Pearson, who would become his wife and lifelong partner. They were married in Cleveland, Ohio in 1969. Jane graduated from medical school in 1971.
Jim completed 2 years of General Surgery Residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland before pursuing a Urology Fellowship at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Jane completed her Internal Medicine Internship also at University Hospitals in 1972, transferring her residency to McGill as well. They both completed their training in 1975. Their first child, Abigail, was born in 1973 during their years in Canada, beginning the family that would remain the center of Jim's life.
In 1975 Jim and his family settled in Portland, Maine where he joined Bruce Nelson, M.D. in private practice and began a distinguished career as a urologist. Their practice grew to include Hugh Robinson, M.D. and John Dhyrberg, M.D.. In 1976 their son Dwight was born. Jim became Board Certified in Urology in 1977 and was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1979. That same year, he and Jane answered the enduring pull of rural life by moving their young family to an eighteenth century farmhouse on twenty acres in Windham, Maine.Their daughter Rachel was born 5 months before the move.
For two decades Jim cared for patients with skill and compassion. He served as an attending urologist at Maine Medical Center and as Chief of Urology at Mercy Hospital in Portland. He also taught future physicians as a clinical instructor affiliated with both Tufts University School of Medicine and the University of Vermont College of Medicine.
Even while maintaining a demanding medical practice, Jim never lost his connection to the land. At his farm in Windham he raised Polled Hereford cattle, tended his gardens, made hay and cared for a variety of animals, including family dogs and cats. Farming and gardening were not hobbies to him, but lifelong passions that connected him to his roots and brought him great satisfaction.
Following his retirement from practice in 1996, Jim embraced a wide range of intellectual and civic pursuits. A devoted student of history he completed numerous courses in American history through the University of Southern Maine and Harvard Extension School. He also continued his work in medical education, serving as Dean of the Maine campuses of St. Mathew's University School of Medicine and then University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Service remained a defining thread throughout Jim's life. He was deeply involved in Scouting, serving as a leader in his son's and daughter's Boy Scout troop and later in leadership roles. He was President of the Pine Tree Council of Maine, completed Wood Badge and, in recognition of his service to youth, he received the Silver Beaver award, one of Scouting's highest honors.
Jim's love of history extended beyond the classroom. Through years of genealogical research he discovered and documented his family's connections to the American Revolution, including his ancestor William Huston, who served as an officer in the Continental Army. As a descendant of an officer Jim became a member of the Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati, serving as its President from 2017-2020. He remained engaged in the organization until his death.
Throughout his adult years Jim was also a Mason, an enthusiastic gardener, a prolific storyteller and a devoted family man. He possessed a remarkable curiosity about the world and a gift for sharing stories that connected people to history, family and one another. Those who knew him will remember his intellect, his sense of humor, his dedication to service and the steady generosity with which he approached life.
Jim was predeceased by his parents Dwifght K. Pringle and Bernice I. (Sweny) Pringle, and his sister, Lynda Pringle Holm.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jane Pearson Pringle, M.D.; his daughter Abigail Pringle and her husband David Cromleigh of Columbus, Ohio; his son Dwight Pringle, M.D. of South Portland, Maine; his daughter Rachel Pringle and her husband Luke Frederick, of Truckee, California; and his four grandchildren, Elliot Atcheson, Catherine Cromleigh, Alden Frederick and Mikaela Frederick. He is also survived by multiple in-laws, nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews, all of whom he held dear.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 2pm at the Windham Hill United Church of Christ, 140 Windham Center Rd., Windham, ME 04062
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, Scarborough, ME 04074, in gratitude for the compassionate care and comfort provided to Jim in his final days, or to a charity of your choice.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Poitras Funeral Home, www.mainefuneral.com