Mr. Sam Edward Pruitt "Jd"

Sam Edward Pruitt, also known as J.D., gained his wings on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, at the age of 77. Sam was the youngest of twelve children born on December 12, 1945, in Panola, Alabama to Odie and Lillie Pruitt.

Sam was educated in the Sumpter County School System and would later be employed by that same school as a bus driver after graduating. He soon followed in the footsteps of several of his siblings leaving his beloved Panola, Alabama, relocating to Saginaw, MI in 1964. Days (19) after his arrival in Michigan he was employed with General Motors and would work there for the next 44 years and was never late. He was a stickler for time. While employed he became a licensed Electrician and maintained that role until his retirement in 2008.

July 28, 1978, Sam, and Alberta (Miller) were united in holy matrimony and were blessed to spend 45 years together as husband and wife, as well as friends. They built many memories over the years. Much of their time was spent traveling to visit and celebrate with family.

Sam loved his family, his friends, and his cars. If you knew him, you knew those three things were high on his list of priorities. His siblings were his best friends. He expressed his love quietly; he may not say “I love you” but he showed you love in a way that only he could. He stood tall as a man with values. Sam loved people; he never met a stranger.

He was passionate about his cars, and it was evident in how he cared for them. You would be hard-pressed to find one of his vehicles dirty, as he was constantly wiping on them. While his health prevented him from maintaining them as he once had, they still glistened as if he had washed them himself. His love of cars extended beyond those that he drove, he was a fan of NASCAR, if there was a race on you would find him in his recliner watching intently with the telephone near him talking with his nephew. Never switching to another station, he watched the entire race from beginning to end. He was not only meticulous with his cars, but he was the same way with his clothing. Work clothes, dress clothes, it didn’t matter; they were all sent to laundry or Cleaners and pressed to perfection.

Sam leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife, Alberta Pruitt; 5 children, Sam (Jennine) Hargrove, Morris “Rick” (Yolanda) Pruitt, Pandora Terrell, Ametra (Darren) Burton, & Sam Pruitt II; 12 grandchildren, Jamie, Bryant, Brianna, Jene’, Morris II, Samantha, Autumn, Christian, Kayla, Carlos, Darren II and Alex; 4 great-grandchildren; 2 brothers, Aaron (Bertha) Pruitt, and Hugh (Bernice) Pruitt; sisters-in-law, Florida Pruitt and Jackie (Willie) Bell, brothers-in-law, Walter Miller and Michael Lewis; and host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends whom he loved deeply.

Sam was preceded in death by both parents, Odie and Lillie Pruitt; mother-in-law, Darlene Lewis; father-in-law, Albert Miller; siblings, J.P. Pruitt, Dorothy Sublet, Ethel Brown, Melvin Pruitt, Jamie Lee Pruitt, Arelia Taylor, Odie Pruitt Jr., Cager Pruitt, and William “Doug” Pruitt; and brother-in-law, Billy Austin.