Bishop Rudolph Pringle remembered as ‘steadfast confidant’

Friends said he left behind a legacy of kindness, respect and a tendency to advocate for the underdog.

Celeste Didlick-Davis, president of Middletown’s NAACP chapter, said Pringle “never met a stranger.”

“It didn’t matter if you made a mistake, stubbed your toe...(Pringle) was not going to abandon you or be judgmental. He was only going to help you,” Didlick-Davis said.

“Bishop was a steadfast confidant for many people...wisdom extraordinaire,” she added.

She said there are many preachers and pastors who Pringle mentored, one of them being Dr. Gregory Ballard.

Ballard was a young pastor when he met Pringle in 1990.

“I found myself smitten on a number of different fronts,” he said. “I guess the first thing that I recognized in him was a courage...I was drawn to him because he would fight for the underdog.”

Ballard, 64, is a pastor at New Life Christian Center in Middletown. He said Pringle leaves a legacy that is “hard to follow up on.”

“If a city could have a governor, he was the governor of the city of Middletown,” he said. “He was an advocate for churchmen and non-church people alike.”

Another mentee, Elder Roger Smith, said he knew Pringle “all his life,” and they were even neighbors for 37 years.

“He was his own man,” Smith said of Pringle. “He was a pioneer.”

Smith, 65, is a pastor at Bethlehem Temple First Pentecostal Church in Middletown.

When Smith became a pastor 22 years ago, Pringle told him to “pastor the community, not just the local church.”

“That has paid off great dividends in my ministry,” he said.

Smith added Pringle was a “once in a generation” kind of man.

Pastor Michael Bailey, 72, of Faith United Church in Middletown, first heard Pringle preach when he was 8. At 19, Bailey got married to his wife, Patsy, and Pringle officiated the wedding.

“I never knew that we would be working together in a community that we love so much,” Bailey said.

Bailey said Pringle leaves a legacy of “love and compassion.”

Pringle is survived by his wife, Marlene Gloria Jackson — his “Queen,” as he referred to her. They were married in June 1963 and celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary this year.

They had four children, Rudolph II (Theresa), Dr. Timothy (Pam), Minister Gloria Pringle Ashley (Johnny) and Barron Joseph. They have 10 granddaughters, 6 great-grandsons, 8 great-granddaughters and a host on the way.

Pringle moved to Middletown in 1936 — along with five siblings. He graduated from Middletown High School in 1951 and attended Bowling Green State University, majoring in speech and law.

In 1955, Pringle joined the United States Army, serving in the psychiatric ward and within the chaplain’s department.

He continued his education at multiple different colleges, graduating from the International Apostolic University of Indianapolis, where he earned five doctorate degrees in divinity, education, science, philosophy in Christian education and philosophy in shock therapy — all with Suma Cum Laude honors.

Pringle also worked at AK Steel for 41 years.

Pringle advocated for benefits for retired employees’ healthcare at AK Steel, according to Bailey.

Michael Bailey was the main plaintiff in the 2009 case, Bailey vs. AK Steel Corporation, and Pringle was one of nine others.

In 1970, Pringle began to pastor the Apostolic Faith Church in Dayton, where he served for 55 years until July 4, 2025. He was also affiliated with Bethlehem Temple First Pentecostal Church in Middletown.

He was anointed and elevated to the office of a Bishop in Louisville, Ky. in 1984.