James Sidney “Jimmy” Pryor of Beaumont, Texas, died Thursday, July 2, 2015. Born in Beaumont, on May 28, 1928, to Wakelyn Padgett “Jack” Pryor and Agile Westmoreland Gillette, he had been a lifelong resident. He was a beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather and his countless friends are testament to a life lived with kindness, integrity, and generosity.
Jimmy was a graduate of Beaumont High School, attended Lamar, and worked as an usher at the old Jefferson Theater in his teens. In 1945, at the age of seventeen and with his brother, Jack, away in the Navy and his mom raising him and his younger sister, Jill, on her own, he went to work at the Magnolia Refinery, now Mobil Oil. After forty years as a pipefitter, he retired from Mobil in 1985.
On June 4, 1950, he married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Mary Louise Pecora. They were married for sixty-five years and during that time had two daughters, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. In their early days, Jimmy and Mary Louise were members of The Caper Club of Beaumont, a dance club they enjoyed for years with their friends. Jimmy wasn’t much on dancing at the beginning but was a quick study and, oh, how he loved to dance with “Mama”!
He always loved country music and old church songs and when his girls were young, the music of Hank Williams and his favorite, Patsy Cline, often filled the house.
After retirement, Jimmy and Mary Louise spent many wonderful years enjoying their home on Crystal Beach with family and friends, leaving many wonderful memories behind. They also traveled with friends, caravan style, managing to see almost every part of the United States and filling scrapbooks with photographs of their journeys.
Jimmy played football at Beaumont High School and the “letter” from his football jacket is still in a drawer of his dresser today. His love of sports lasted a lifetime and he never missed a sporting event on television if he could help it. When his daughters were very young, he umpired Little League baseball and when his grandsons came along, he went to every one of their sporting events he could, from basketball to soccer to bull riding. Yes, bull riding. In his later years, he was so proud of his grandson, Albert, for coaching young basketball teams and he rarely missed a chance to see Albert show off his skills. He also spent many days at the beach fishing with his grandchildren and sons-in-law and then cleaning and frying up their catch.
He was a good son and took care of his mom in so many ways throughout the years and called or visited her every day while she lived in Hotel Beaumont her last years. Even after her death, he continued to volunteer his time there, driving residents to appointments and on outings. And he was a wonderful brother to his sister, Jill, who was fourteen years younger. When she was just a baby and his mother was working, he would put Jill in the car with him and his other high school friends, bottles and diapers and all, and off they’d go for the day.
He was a loving father to his two daughters, always the thoughtful advisor but careful not to give advice when it wasn’t really needed. He always supported their interests and dreams and respected their wishes and opinions even if he didn’t always agree with them. And he must be getting extra gold stars in heaven for the endless hours of dancing recitals he endured for so many years. Being the only man in a house full of women, he learned early on how to deal with them; he was quick to be the first to say how great they looked when they came home from the “beauty parlor”. And, most importantly, he knew when to just say nothing.
Most of all, Jimmy was a wonderful husband. Theirs was a rare love that lasted through the decades. On special occasions, he wrote poems to Mary Louise, most of them she still has tucked away. Some of them are sweet, some funny, but all of them offer a glimpse into how deeply he loved her.
Jimmy was a voracious reader and had an entire wall of books to show for it. He also enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and worked them every day until the Alzheimer’s no longer allowed it.
He was a member of the Mobil Annuitants of Southeast Texas and served three terms as president. He served as a volunteer guide at the Energy Museum downtown and as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Pius X Catholic Church. Jimmy was raised Methodist but became a Catholic later in life. His religion had deep meaning for him and he loved participating in church events, especially Parish Day, when he and his friend, Jessie, would be in charge of making the ice cream floats. Jimmy always made a big mess but loved every minute of it and ended up giving away a lot of them to the children.
He was a good man, a really sweet man, who worked hard and loved his family more than anything in the world. We will miss him with all our hearts.
Jimmy is survived by his wife, Mary Louise; his sister, Jill Lawless; his children, Sidney Ann Coffee and her husband, Al Coffee, Holly Lucille Waldvogel and her companion, Sid Pulliam; his grandchildren, Albert Tyler Coffee and wife Wendy, Mathew Pryor Coffee and wife Jessica, Wakelyn Christina Malitz, Albert James Walvogel; and his great-grandchildren, Noah Austin Brown, Anna Beth and Aubree Claire Coffee, and Dafne Coffee and Albert Miguel Coffee.
He is preceded in death by his father, Wakelyn Padgett “Jack” Pryor, his mother, Agile Westmoreland Gillette, and his brother, Jack Wakelyn Pryor.
The family wishes to give special and heartfelt thanks to everyone at Touched by an Angel and especially to the real angels who cared so lovingly for him: Pam Pouncy, Ashley Sias, Wanda Menfee, and Viola Walker. Words cannot adequately describe our admiration and gratitude.
A gathering of Mr. Pryor’s family and friends will begin at 10:00 a.m., with his Memorial Mass celebrated at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, July 8, 2015, at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 5075 Bigner Road, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. His committal was held at Broussard’s Crematorium, Beaumont.
Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 700 North Street, Suite M, Beaumont, Texas, 77707.
