JAMES HARRIS PRUITT
1934-2020
James Harris Pruitt (Jim) passed away unexpectedly on July 12, 2020, in Wilmington, NC. Born an raised in Ft. Worth, Texas, to Katherine Elizabeth Rose and Henry Harris Pruitt, Jim played football for Arlington Heights HS (1952). He earned a BS in Business from Washington & Lee University as a member of Phi Delta Theta. A true patriot, he served in the US Army in Germany for 2 years. Upon his return, Jim joined his father’s sales engineering firm serving the petrochemical, oil & gas and aerospace industries. In 1961, he formed Cordel Corp. and moved to Houston. When Continental Disc acquired Cordel in 1995, Jim, VP at Gulf Coast Sales, maintained a vital role in the development of the petrochemical industry until he retired. Jim had an insatiable appetite for knowledge and a delicate modesty with the information he possessed, constantly enriching the minds of family and friends with his patience and wisdom. Truly a Renaissance man, Jim enjoyed the simple pleasures in life: coffee, Premium crackers, peanut butter and his beloved cat Sherlock.
Jim was the consummate gentleman: kind, gentle and sensitive to others with never an ill word toward anyone. He offered compassion, hope and optimism for brighter days to those who sought his advice. He loved his wife, children and grandchildren immensely, fostering unique and meaningful relationships between the young and the old. Jim and his wife Peggy
Morriss Vineyard retired to Wilmington, NC, in 2012 and found their nirvana.
They loved the quiet pace of life, serene surroundings and their friends. Jim supported Peggy’s many careers, and in retirement her artistic aspirations. They loved entertaining, traveling, cooking and developing meaningful friendships worldwide. He is preceded in death by his parents, Katherine and Harris Pruitt; mother of his children Peggy Wheeler Pruitt and his nephew Peter Wilson. He is survived by his wife Peggy Morriss Vineyard, his sister and brother in law, Betty and Clyde Wilson; his son Michael Pruitt, wife Margaret, children Hannah and Harris; his daughter Jennifer Pruitt Toomey, husband Bill, children Hank, Mac and Sophie; his stepson Tommy Miller, wife Charlotte, children William, Jonathan and Patrick; his stepdaughter Meredith Miller Pollak, husband Mike Pollak, children Emily and Nicholas. Private services to be held at St. Andrews on the Sound Wilmington, NC. Service at Glenwood Cemetery Houston, Tx. at a later date. Donations to Duke Sarcoma Research, www.strikeoutforsarcoma.com “James Harris Pruitt Memorial Team”