Harry Thomas 'Tom' Pruett

Harry Thomas “Tom” Pruett, ordained minister, went to meet his Lord and Savior with his family by his side on Tuesday, May 12, 2009. He was 59 years old.

Tom was born on Aug. 4, 1949, to Harry A. and Gladys Lelah Johnson Pruett in St. Louis, Mo. As a child he moved to Rupert, Idaho, and later attended high school at Pasco, Wash.

In 1967, Tom married Linda Roland and had two sons, Brett Thomas and Stacy Randall. They were later divorced.

Tom joined the U.S. Army as an Airborne Ranger in 1969. He valiantly served his country in Vietnam receiving four Purple Heart Awards, a Bronze Star Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, an Army Commendation Medal and a Parachute Badge. He received his Honorable Discharge in 1971. After the service, Tom moved to Moses Lake, Washington, then to Caldwell where he met and married Kay Troughton.

Tom cherished time spent with his family and loved to reminisce about the fun times they had shared together. He loved hunting and fishing, riding his horses and the serenity of being in “God’s Country.” The last four days of his life were spent hunting bear with his brother, Ron and nephew, Kyle.

Tom had a life-long spiritual yearning to be close to God. He passionately pursued that interest through self studies eventually becoming a non-denominational Ordained Minister. Everything was an adventure and a good story for Tom. He enjoyed his daily visits to “the office” (McDonald’s) for cold drinks and sharing stories with his buddies, Bud, Wilbur, Willie, Virgil, Freddy and many more.

Tom is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Brett and Karin Pruett; his best friend, Kay Pruett;  his parents, Harry and Evelyn Pruett; his siblings, Joey Busey, Ron (Sherrie) Pruett, Janet (Russ) Dean, Carl Pruett and Charlotte (Greg) Snyder; five stepdaughters, Karen, Tiffany, Cami (Destry), Kim (Randy) and Keri (Shane); 12 grandchildren, KoDee, KyLee, Logan, Landon, Breanna, Hadley, Montgomery, Brady, Carson, Josh, Rhett and Dilon; several nieces and nephews; and many dear friends.

He was preceded in death by his son, Stacy; two nephews, Jared and Nick; a sister-in-law, Christine Pruett; and his mother, Gladys.

Tom will be missed beyond measure, but we know that he is happy with his Lord.

Memorial services will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at Dakan Funeral Chapel, Caldwell. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family through their online guest book at www.dakanfuneralchapel.com.