Martha E. Pryor

She was born Feb. 2, 1918, in Horatio, Arkansas.

She is predeceased by her parents, Albert S. Neel and Bertha Burkhead Neel, She is also predeceased by her sisters, Katherine Leibschutz and Mary Price; and her brother, Albert S. (Pete) Neel, Jr.

Martha married Walter (Pete) Pryor in 1942. Pete predeceased Martha in 1980.

Survivors include three children, Martha Ainsworth, of Nashville, Stephen Pryor, of Long Beach, New York, and John Pryor (Hannah Eisner), of Bloomington, Illinois. Other survivors include three grandchildren, Katherine Wilson (Cannon), Jonah Pryor (Carolyn) and Leah Lipe Pryor (Tristan); and her niece, Gwen Picard (Dick).

Martha and Pete were longtime residents of Weatherford. In the 1950s, Martha built the Little Red Schoolhouse kindergarten in the backyard of her home on Russell Street. For many years she touched the lives of many Weatherford children who were her students. Ultimately she went to work for the U.S. Air Force General Dynamics in Fort Worth. She retired as a civil service eployee from the USAF in 1982, achieving the rank of a GS 11.

After retirement, Martha often enjoyed international travel with friends and family. She visited many countries in western Europe and even traveled as far as Thailand and China. She also very often enjoyed playing bridge with her many friends. While living in Weatherford, she was a member of the First Baptist Church and before that the Central Christian Church. Martha’s children remember her as a strong and independent woman. She was a devoted and loving mother and grandmother and will be missed dearly by her family.

At a later date private graveside services will be held in Weatherford, Texas.