P.W. Pryor, Jr. Obituary
Gordonville, TX- P.W. Pryor, Jr., 75, graduated to his higher calling on May 8th, 2016. A Graveside “Military Send Off for P.W. Pryor” will be held at 2:00 PM on
Wednesday, May 11th, in the Eastland City Cemetery. Full Military Honors and Celebration will be rendered at the gravesite.
P.W. was born August 26, 1940 in Kemp, Texas to Paul William and Annie (Mullins) Pryor. P.W. was the fourth child born of seven, one died in infancy.
Many hardships and the parents were hard working farmers and his father also sold ice. Back then people had what was called an “Ice Box”, and the
ice man delivered ice to customers in the morning and maybe evening depending on summer or winter months.
P.W. and his brothers and sisters worked in the fields and helped their mother put up the summer bounty for the winter months to be able to feed the family.
Their mother made shirts from flour sacks and all her children took a homemade biscuit to school for their lunch. When fresh butter was made, it was a
treat to have a big portion put on that biscuit. Their mother taught them how to make cornbread and biscuits, even when there were no eggs or milk.
P.W.’s family had hard times as he rode his horse to school. In 1956, his dad enlisted him in the U.S. Army when he was barely the age of 15.
His father told him to stay in the outfit and make something of himself, and P.W. did.
On P.W.’s 16th birthday, he was in Korea and would come back to Ft. Wolters where he entered and completed helicopter school. He was stationed in Alaska
and Germany several times, Ft. Benning, GA, and Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. P.W. received the Presidential award, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal.
P.W. retired his military career on Jan. 31, 1979, serving 23 years, and then served an additional 2 years with the Special Forces for our country.
P.W. has 3 children, Cindy Lee Pryor Pratt, Linda Jean Pryor, and Paula W. Pryor Larsen.
P.W. and Toni married up on Cripple Creek, Colorado in June, 1984.
P.W. fully retired out of “THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS”, and decided to open his own business, “ADMIRAL FOUNDATION COMPANY”. With the help of his new
business partner, Toni, he opened this company in July of 1985 and was very successful till he retired it in 2005. They built Admiral Foundation and widened its
scope of properties. At the peak of his business, Admiral was doing 5 or more house leveling jobs per week.
P.W. and Toni bought a beautiful, wild piece of property in 1987, in Gordonville, Texas and moved their company to the land in1988 and continued to run out of
Gordonville till 2005. At the same time, he was building fences on the new land and buying cattle. By 1990, the whole place had been fenced and was named,
Longhorn Ranch, and boasted over 100 head of Longhorn Cattle.
P.W. loved his land and cattle, and could speak “COW”, as Toni would tell him. He could see a mama cow separated from its baby and would holler,
“Ha Cow, Ha Cow”, and she would come to him and he would get the baby to come up to mama.
P.W. installed a windmill on the ranch that he totally restored himself and drilled the well, as is working perfectly today. A “Self Made Man”,
and giving the Army its dues, he could fix anything! He made everything look so easy. P.W. worked hard all his life and never complained. He always pulled himself up by his own bootstraps!!!
P.W. was preceded in death by his loving parents; sister, Mary; his pet, Lucky, and best friend, Buddy.
He is survived by his 3 daughters; siblings, Thurman Lee Pryor, Betty Marie Botton, Patricia Sue Terry, and Albert J. Pryor.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.waldofuneralhome.com.
Services are under the direction of Waldo Funeral Home in Sherman, TX.