From Arizona Highways memorial Instagram post:
Today we said goodbye to an old friend down in Tucson. For almost 40 years, Randy Prentice shared his spectacular landscape photography with our readers around the world. When Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Jack Dykinga first saw Randy’s work, he thought: “Man, this guy is good. I’d better keep an eye on him.” He did. And along the way they became dear friends. Jack spoke at the funeral today, and his words brought laughs and tears and moments of silence. There’s a Chinese proverb that says: “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills.” Randy was among the latter. He loved windmills, and he loved photographing them — for their timeless elegance and the way they looked against the Arizona landscape. But tonight, the windmills are still. A final salute to a man whose talent as a photographer and a musician was exceeded only by the kindness he showed to those around him. On behalf of everyone at Arizona Highways, I offer our most sincere condolences to Randy’s wife, Diana, and his family and friends. Rest in peace, Swampy.
Obituary:
Randy Prentice Obituary
December 6, 1952 - February 29, 2024
Randy was born in Flint, Michigan to Larry and Ilah (Edwards) Prentice, the third of their four children.
His interests and professional accomplishments varied widely. He was a talented guitarist, songwriter, piano technician, software author, and an award-winning photographer.
Music was Randy's lifelong passion. His musical career began in the mid-1960s when he received his first guitar and began formal instruction. He practiced constantly and, as his technique developed, his father taught him music theory and wrote charts for him to learn. At age 13, he played his first professional gig with his father's band, The C-Notes, who performed at various clubs in the Flint area.
When his family relocated to Tucson in 1969, Randy continued perfecting his musical artistry. For years he connected with many leading local musicians like Robb Hanshaw, "Juke Joint" Johnny Strasser, and George Hawke. These associations led to his joining such bands as Los Lasers and George Hawke and the Cary Grants. They also led to the formation of bands such as The Vains, which played West Hollywood's Troubadour in 1979, Buzzard Luck, which self-produced the CD "Good Luck" in 2000, and his namesake group, The Randy Prentice Band, which covered multiple genres and featured several of Randy's original songs performed with wife/bassist, Diana, and friend/cowriter/drummer, Paul Daniel. Fixtures on the Tucson music scene for years, these bands stood out for their original music.
Although music dominated Randy's life, he branched out to successfully pursue another career path. In the 1980s, Randy discovered his interest in photography. He studied at Pima Community College and specialized in large format landscape photography. In 1986, Arizona Highways magazine first published his photos, which marked the beginning of a decades-long relationship which included many calendars and books such as 100 Greatest Photographs to Ever Appear in Arizona Highways Magazine and Arizona the Beauty of It All (back cover). Randy's photos were also featured in projects by the National Park Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and were displayed in public venues including airports, the Arizona State Senate, and the new TMC Rincon Hospital. Over his career, Randy received several awards and more than 70 publication credits, such as Browntrout Publishers, which published Randy's own series of Grand Canyon calendars for more than a decade, in periodicals like Conde Nast Traveler and Natural History, and in books, including covers of the Rand McNally 1996 Road Atlas, Falcon Press' book Grand Canyon on My Mind, and Sierra Press' book Arches National Park.
Concurrent with his music and photography pursuits, Randy maintained a long career as a skilled piano technician. Trained by his father, he secured a position tuning and repairing pianos for the Muller Piano Company, the Steinway dealer in Tucson. His services were much in demand, and he went on to start his own business as an independent piano technician. After passing rigorous examinations, he was certified as a Registered Piano Technician by the Piano Technicians Guild, Inc. Randy was vice president of the Tucson Chapter of the Guild and a member for over 40 years.
Choosing to be a piano technician proved fortuitous. Randy met his future wife and pianist, Diana, in 1985 when he was contracted to tune her piano. He continued to tune her piano and eventually married her in 1996.
It is impossible to express in words Randy's many qualities and the influence he had on all who knew him, as well as those who never knew him yet were moved by his music and art. He had a good and generous heart and was a loving husband, brother, and uncle. Randy earned respect and admiration through his inestimable talents and was held in the highest regard by his professional colleagues in music, photography, and piano technology. It was a joy and a gift to have had him in our lives. A world without Randy is nearly incomprehensible.
Randy is survived by his wife Diana May, daughter Darlene Oksanen, brother Hal Prentice, sisters Diane Ganski and Melody Prentice, grandson William Oksanen, niece Lauren Brimmer, and nephew Brett Brimmer.