James Pritchett Sr.

James Herbert Pritchett, Sr., age 81, went home to Jesus, his Lord and Savior, on June 21 surrounded by his loved ones from his home in Martin, Tennessee. James was born in Martin, Tennessee on May 28, 1941 to George Herbert Pritchett and Hattie Lee Bowen Pritchett. He graduated from Martin High School where he was an exceptional basketball player. His athletics continued at the University of Tennessee at Martin where he set scoring and rebounding records that stood for almost two decades. But, most importantly, it was at college where he met the love of his life, Joan. They were married on December 23, 1962. While Joan was an educator, James coached basketball until Goodyear Union City opened. He worked at Goodyear from its opening in 1968 until his retirement in 2001. James was inducted into the Tennessee Martin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986. In light of his many successes in life, his proudest year was the last year of his life where he witnessed his grandson, James III, graduate in Engineering from Purdue University and his granddaughter, Lydia, graduate from Baylor University in Speech Language Pathology. And he participated in the wedding of James and Grace. He was so proud of Grace and loved her as a granddaughter. James was preceded in death by his wife, Joan; by his parents, George Herbert and Hattie Lee Bowen Pritchett; by his brother-in-law Bill Reynolds; by a sister-in-law, Mary Kathryn (Snooky) Crawford O’Brien; and by a nephew, David Trent Reynolds. He is survived by his son, Jim Pritchett, Jr. (Suzanne) of Martin TN; by a grandson, James Pritchett III (Grace) of Jacksonville NC; by a granddaughter, Lydia Elizabeth Pritchett of Knoxville TN; by a sister, Sue Carolyn Pritchett Reynolds of Jackson TN; and by a brother-in-law, Gerald Crawford (Cindy) of Florence AL. Visitation will be Saturday, June 25, from noon until 2 PM at First Baptist Church in Martin where he was an active member. Dr. Mike Sams will officiate the funeral service following the visitation at 12 PM. Burial will follow at East Side Cemetery. Pall bearers include Bro David Brown, Jay Crawford, Trevor Hurst, Josh McCoy, Charles McMorries, Bill Osteen, James Pritchett III, Jon Pritchett, Will Reynolds, Stephen Sutton and Vic Treadway.In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to: The Joan Pritchett Fund for Weakley County Schools’ SRO Program. 8319 Highway 22, Ste A Dresden, TN 38225.