Luther G. Prunty

Luther Glenn Prunty, a rancher, WWII Lost Battalion Survivor, a storyteller, a doting father and grandfather, died January 9, 2015, three days shy of his 103rd birthday. Born to Robert M. and Bertha Jane (Gustin) Prunty, on January 11, 1912, he arrived in the family’s East Jack County log cabin during a snowstorm. He was the youngest son of five children. Luther attended a one-room schoolhouse in Prairie Branch and was the first of his family to graduate from Jacksboro High School, Class of 1932. After graduation, he hitchhiked to Muleshoe, Texas, then a tiny town, where he worked for two years as a cowboy for The Mashed O Ranch, cementing his ambition to be a cattleman. A favorite story was the time he was roping a calf in an impromptu rodeo, and a flailing leg ripped a gaping hole in his pants, baring all. Will Rogers, the radio commentary and comedian, who was a frequent visitor to the Mashed O, saw the incident, assessed the situation and threw a blanket around him. He then gave the young cowboy $5 to buy a new pair of jeans. Luther never forgot the kindness and remained a lifelong fan. Luther is perhaps best remembered for his service during World War II as a member of the Lost Battalion, the Army’s 131st Division Field Artillery captured by the Japanese in Java just days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Luther worked as a slave laborer for the Japanese building the Death Railways through the jungle. When he was liberated 3 ½ years later at the war’s end, he weighed 95 pounds and could not walk. He was devoted to his fellow survivors for the rest of his life. He earned two purple hearts but later said he forgave the Japanese. He was entertained with other POWs by President Harry Truman in the White House in gratitude for his service. When he was released from Walter Reed Hospital, he returned to Jack County and resumed the life of a rancher.On June 1, 1947, he married the love of his life, Dorothy Dodson Prunty, had two daughters, and was elected Jack County Tax Collector and Assessor and later appointed County Auditor. Next to this family, Luther loved quarter horses and birddogs, and enjoyed telling the tale of a favorite birddog that was so desirable, he was offered $1000 for the dog. "I didn't even have to think about it," he said. "I just said no." Luther loved Jack County and Jacksboro and spent the rest of his life as an active member of the community, belonging to First Methodist Church, Lions Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, the Lost Battalion Association, and the Sheriff’s Posse. He was the kind of father who showed up for band and choir concerts, for graduations, for family reunions, and for Girl Scout cookie sales. He disliked being away from the ranch, but left two weeks each summer to take the family camping at different national parks throughout the U.S. He took pride in his cattle and cattle breeding and pecan tree grafting. For many years, he grew his own vegetables. As a youth, he was a popular square dance caller. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Dorothy Prunty, his daughters Gail Bialas and her husband Mike of Plano and Marsha Canright and her husband, David, of Galveston; his granddaughters, Elizabeth Hull and her husband Brian of Clarksville, Arkansas, and Lindsay Canright of Galveston. Survivors also include his three great grandchildren, Kaden, Evan, and Breagan Hull, all of Clarksville. Also surviving are his much-loved nieces, Phyllis Young Schulman, Allyson Young Dunagan and Wynelle Wagnon, and nephews, Mack Lewis and Bobby Prunty, and their families.. There will be a visitation on Friday January 16, 2015 from 6-7 pm at Coker Funeral Home in Jacksboro. Funeral services will be on Saturday, January 17, at Jacksboro First Methodist Church at 2 p.m. followed by interment with full military honors at Cundiff Cemetery. Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church 406 N. Main Jacksboro, Tx. 76458 or Concerned Citizens 400 E. Pine Jacksboro, Tx. 76458

Luther G. Prunty

January 11, 1912 - January 8, 2015