James Pryor Waid
James Pryor Waid, 86, was born May 23, 1934, in Waurika, Oklahoma, to James Carter Waid and Margaret Ann Pryor, and passed from this life October 8, 2020 in Wichita Falls, Texas.
He was a lifelong member of the Waurika Church of Christ and served as one of the elders for more than forty years.
Pryor graduated from Waurika High School in 1952, and is one of the last surviving players of Coach Burl Thompson's 1951 State Championship Football Team. As a senior he was named to the Oklahoma All State team and recruited by Oklahoma A&M, which would later become Oklahoma State University. He played football for two years there before a back injury ended his football career. He graduated from Oklahoma A&M in 1956 and in June of that year he married Gertrude Ann Payne who preceded him in death in 2018. Their marriage would produce three children, James Dowd Waid, Carl Lance Waid and Darla Ann Waid.
After graduation he entered the family banking business, Farmers National Bank, and would succeed his father as bank president in 1973, after his father's death. He served as president of the First Farmers National Bank and First State Bank in Temple, Oklahoma until his death.
As a banker, Pryor was pro Waurika, pro-growth and believed in fiscal soundness of not only the bank but everyone he dealt with. His first loan, though as a 22 year old, would end in disaster, it was a loan for twelve chickens and a rooster and the loan was never paid back. When he went to collect the chickens he discovered the customer had eaten them. Over the decades he would finance everything from chickens to cattle and washing machines to manufacturing plants. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Jefferson County Hospital, actively pushed for the construction of Waurika Lake and flew with other local businessmen to Washington, D.C. in the early 70s to lobby for the booming Waurika parakeet business and Scott's Parakeets, located on the north end of Waurika. Probably his greatest joy in banking were his agricultural customers – at heart Pryor was a farmer/rancher and thoroughly enjoyed lengthy discussions with every one of them, trying to decide what they were doing so he could not only help them but see if he wanted to make changes to his own farm and ranch operation. He considered these men true friends.
His ministry passions were the Chimala Mission Hospital in Tanzania, Africa, Randy English Pacific Islands Ministry, and Westview Boys Home in Oklahoma.
Survivors include: his children Dowd Waid, Lance Waid and his wife Sherry; and Darla and her husband Jesse Barrick; his grandchildren Evan, Melea, Dalee, Emily, and Seth; and brothers Don Waid, and Carter Waid.
Funeral service will be at 10:30 AM, Monday, October 12, at the Waurika Church of Christ with Bob Smee, Noel Curington and Tommy Maxwell officiating. Burial will be in the Waurika Cemetery under the direction of Dudley Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 1:00 to 6:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday, at the Dudley Funeral Home Chapel in Waurika. Memorials may be made to the Waurika Church of Christ.