John "Brother John" Edmond Pruett

John was born on April 24, 1941 in Stilwell, Oklahoma. His early education was at Rabbit Trap Grade School, a one-room schoolhouse in the hills of Eldon, Oklahoma. After graduating from Broken Arrow High School in 1959, he served in both the Army National Guard and the Air Force. After his service, he attended college at Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, Arizona, where he met his wife, Adelaide Hungerford (Addie). John then earned his masters of divinity and masters of religious education degrees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and Golden Gate Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, California, while supporting his family as a house painter, a skill that he relied upon throughout his lifetime. A lifelong learner, he spent hours exegeting Greek text, served briefly as an adjunct professor of Greek at Oklahoma Baptist University, and spent many hours in his retirement continuing his studies of the Greek language.

As a child, John spent much time exploring the hills of Eldon where his Huckleberry Finn-style summers led to his lifelong love of everything outdoors. He was a man of many interests and hobbies, some of which he excelled in and some of which he merely dabbled. Leather crafting? Maybe not his best endeavor, but he sure had fun trying it. Hunting? He may have shot a squirrel or two. Gardening? While not the tidiest gardener, he always managed to grow delicious tomatoes, peppers, and green beans, and was skilled at canning his harvests. His neighbors looked forward to his annual homemade salsa.

Fishing, however, was his forte, and he always knew the exact bait and tackle required. The man could catch a fish in a puddle and he always had a fishing pole or two somewhere in his truck and a shovel to dig earthworms. Indeed, he seemed to have an unwritten license to fish almost anyone’s pond in Haskell County, Oklahoma (or did he?). His fried fish was legendary.

More than any hobby, however, his main passion in life was telling others about Jesus, spreading the Good News, and serving others. John pastored churches in California, Montana, Colorado, and a number in Oklahoma, in particular spending twenty-three years as the pastor of Main Street Baptist Church in Stigler, Oklahoma, where he faithfully served his congregation by ministering to the needs of all his parishioners. He was a person who would give someone the shoes off his feet. He made everyone feel welcome, accepted, and loved, even if his viewpoints differed from theirs. He never met a stranger. God certainly said to him at his arrival in Heaven, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

John had a laugh that could shake the walls and lived his life to the fullest. Even during his five-year stint with cancer, he continued to interim pastor, ice fish, garden, and do all the things that gave him joy. He and his zest for life will be deeply missed.

John is preceded in death by his parents, Leonard William Pruett, Ruby Earnistine Tudor, and Monroe Tudor. He is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Addie, and their daughters, Marisa Pruett Elmore and son-in-law Mark Elmore of Dallas, Texas; Kimberly Pruett Sundaram and son-in-law Dr. Shankar Sundaram of Oakwood, Ohio; his sister, Charlotte Bumbalow; his brother Charles “Chuck” Tudor; grandchildren Elliott and Stella Elmore, and Krisha, S.J., and Leo Sundaram; and many nieces and nephews.

A small family memorial service will be held in Dayton, Ohio, on November 29, 2024. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in his name to Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, whose nurses took wonderful care of him and his girls during this difficult time (https://ohioshospice.org/give).