Rev. Arlington H. Pryor Jr.

REMEMBERING REV. ARLINGTON HARRIS PRYOR

Arlington (“Arly”) Harris Pryor, Junior, was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania on November 24, 1926, to Arlington Pryor, Senior (1900-1967) and Vashti (McBride) Pryor (1906-1980). He came from a large family of 13 children-four of whom survive him.

Arly told us that early on in his life, he was influenced by his mother to develop a relationship with god, which eventually manifested itself in his chosen profession.

He was a World War II veteran, having served in the United States Army near the end of the War in Japan. Although he was proud of his experiences in the military, Arly did not like the idea of nations fighting each other. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

After his discharge he finished high school. In trying to identify his vocational direction, he spoke to his Uncle Elliot Pryor, who was the owner of a funeral business in New Rochelle, New York, just outside of New York City. Arly thought he wanted to go into the mortuary business and subsequently, completed training at the Pittsburgh School of Mortuary (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and graduated in 1948 with honors. Yet, he ultimately concluded that the mortuary business was not for him.

Around this time, he met Alice Dotson to whom on November 4, 1949, he became wedded. Arlington and Alice had four children, Jeffrey, Lori, Terry and David. After brief moves to saint Paul, Minnesota and Seattle, Washington, in the late 1950’s the Pryor family set down permanent roots in the temperate climate of San Jose, California.

In the early 1960’s Arly decided to enter the ministry as his life’s vocation. After becoming an ordained minister in the Church of God in Christ for several years, he established membership in the Prebysterian Church, USA. He focused on education as a key to developing his theological skills and his further interests in community and world affairs. He obtained his B.A. in Sociology and a Master of Social Work degree from San Jose State University in the 1970’s.

He then obtained his Master of Divinity degree from the San Francisco School of Theology in 1976.

Arly pastored churches in Detroit, Michigan and in San Jose, California.

During his retirement years, Arly often was a guest speaker and minister at Faith Presbyterian church in Oakland, California, where he assisted the late Rev. Frank Jackson in providing ministerial duties.

Arly was not all about work and school. He enjoyed the outdoors and camping in particular. During the 1960’s, we noted that ours was often one of the few African-American families that frequented various campgrounds in California and Oregon. He liked to cook (or at least, “try” to cook).

If you had gotten to know Arly, you soon found out that he kept up on current events and that he had strong opinions about injustices he saw happening in the country and throughout the world. He had the fortitude to blend his theology and his sense of right and wrong into a message of the society we all “could be and should be”. He was a very generous man and would sacrifice his own needs to help others.

He enjoyed comedies on television and in movies. His love and affection for his wife, children and grandchildren was very apparent-we especially saw this when his grandchildren started coming.

For nine years, Arlington fought hard the effects of end stage renal failure. He wanted to live but the physical toll of such a disease wears one down. In the early morning hours of Saturday, November 13, 2010, God told him, “that’s enough”….

He is truly missed by his wife Alice; children, Jeffrey, Lori, Terry and David; Daughters-in-law, Kathleen Pryor, Verna Pryor, and Lillian Pryor; Son-in-law, Timothy Threatt; grandchildren, Julian Threatt, Jerren Pryor, Leslie Threatt, Alexis Pryor, Jaida Pryor, Maya Pryor, Jason Salinas & Sean Salinas; Sisters, Celestine Lewis of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Yvonne Woodruff of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Nadirah Aiesa Abdul Rabb of Mckeesport, Pennsylvania; brother, Lemuel Pryor of Minnapolis, Minnesota; Brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Thomas Dotson and Ruth Dotson of Cocoa, Florida; and a host of nieces and nephews.

Arlington fulfilled a unique part of God’s plan. He added to the positiveness of the world. When he often spoke, his voice “improved the silence”.

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