Rev. Russell Prunty

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD He is God; it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving; and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name

For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting and His truth endureth to all generations.

Psalms 100: 3-5

On July 15, 2026, at 10:25pm, at the Sheila S. Strauss Hospice House in Roanoke, Virginia, God called His faithful servant home to his Heavenly reward, at the blessed age of 99.

Russell Grover Prunty was born January 21, 1927, in Franklin County, Virginia, the fifth of eight children born to the late Grover Cleveland Prunty and Blanche Smith Prunty.

He met the love of his life, Lovie Alice Kidd, at Joe’s Grill in Franklin County, Virginia. They exchanged vows on February 25, 1950, and were married for 62 years before Lovie’s passing in 2012. They built a beautiful life together, including buying 100 acres of land in Glade Hill, Virginia, on March 17, 1954, and eventually building their permanent home on it: a cozy little red brick house that remained Russell and Lovie’s home for the rest of their days. With a lot of hard, tireless work, they then turned the land into a flourishing and profitable farm complete with cows, chickens, and pigs and robust crops. Sitting on a tractor was undoubtedly one of Russell’s favorite places to be, tilling soil and harvesting crops. As decades passed, and the animals on the farm grew less and less until there were no more, the land remained, and it was Russell’s own slice of Heaven on earth. You could still catch him riding around the farm on his trusty John Deere tractor up until he was well into his nineties.The role of farmer was just one of the many he excelled in during his life.

Russell also served as a plant manager for the cabinet section ofLane Furniture Company in Rocky Mount, VA, from April 10, 1963-May 29, 1992. To this day, if you happen to come across a former Lane employee who had the pleasure of working with Russell, they will tell you that he was the best boss they ever had. Russell was firm but fair and strong in his leadership in all aspects of his life.

Never one to sit idle for long, about a year after retiring from Lane Furniture Company, Russell decided to take on one of his most daunting tasks yet: that of a school bus driver for the Franklin County Public School system. But seriously, the children that Russell safely transported from home to school and back are all grown up now, but they’ve not forgotten “Mr. Prunty” and his stories, his jokes, or his life lessons taught.

Overlapping all of the aforementioned roles, Russell was first and foremost a lifelong servant to our Lord and Savior. Russell preached his first sermon in December of 1957, a sermon that would lead to well over half a century of ministry, serving his God and his community. In 1977, New Mount Zion Baptist Church was first established out of the little brick house in Glade Hill before moving to its permanent location on Hopkins Road in Rocky Mount, VA. He was bestowed his Certificate of License to Preach the Gospel at Lovely Valley Baptist Church on April 28, 1985, and received his Certificate of Ordination on April 4, 1987. For 37 years, Russell led his loyal flock both inside and outside of New Mount Zion Baptist, before retiring and becoming Pastor Emeritus on October 31, 2014. But his work didn’t stop there. His ministry remained a 24 hour a day operation back at the little red brick house. Russell was never too busy to lend a helping hand, or a listening ear, or just his time and calming presence. He epitomized what we as Christians are called to do: love, honor, and worship.

If you asked Russell to make remarks during any church service, one of the things he would almost always say with a huge smile on his face is, “I love people.” And truly he did, in the most selfless of ways. The number of couples he has married; the number of friends, family, and co-workers in Christ that he has beautifully eulogized; the number of hands he has held in prayer or in comfort; the number of souls who came to the Lord because of him; the number of prayers he humbly spoke out loud or in his heart…all too numerous to count.

But who was Russell Prunty the man? Russell Prunty was known for his contagious laugh, his wide smile, his love for his family, the way he loved to share stories of his life and listen to yours with his whole heart. The man never missed breakfast; it was by far his favorite meal of the day, and sorry, but he was not going to share his bacon. He bent over backwards for his family, and he led us unwaveringly even in our darkest of times, even in the face of unfathomable loss and grief: he remained steadfast and strong. If he said everything was going to be okay, it would be. He loved John Deere tractors and pick up trucks, bluegrass, watching westerns on TV, the color blue, reading the newspaper and mowing his yard. He was the best Papa and spoiled his grandbabies. He loved his sweets and you had better have some vanilla ice cream to go with any pie or cake you gave him.

He loved God and his family with every atom in his body.

Russell was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 62 years, Lovie Alice Kidd Prunty; parents, Grover Cleveland Prunty and Blanche Smith Prunty; brothers Benjamin Prunty, Randolph Prunty, and Raymond Prunty; sisters, Alice Prunty Kasey, Julia Pearl Prunty Taylor, and Velma Milstead Prunty Saunders; and his daughter in law, Vanessa O’neal Prunty.

Russell is survived by his son Rodney (Arlena) Prunty of Glade Hill, VA; 2 grandchildren, Leandra (Daniel) Kamara, of Hardy, VA; and Gregory (Shawkia) Prunty of Glade Hill, VA; 5 great-grandchildren, Malachi Prunty, Sierrafina Kamara, Skylar Prunty, Maranatha Kamara and Junior Kamara; his baby sister, Mary Frances Wade of Columbus, OH; special friend Cecelia Hickman, and special adopted granddaughter Arianna Dennis; along with a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends. and co-workers in Christ.

Russell’s family would like to extend a huge thank you to the caring and compassionate staff of Good Samaritan Hospice and the Sheila S. Strauss Hospice House, especially Eliza, Susie, Chelsea, Pastor Bobby, and Sandy, who cared for him with the utmost respect, love and dignity in his final days.

A celebration of Rev. Prunty’s life will be held Friday, July 24, 2026 at the Pigg River Community Building. Family visitation will begin at 12pm, and services will commence at 1pm, with Rev. Roy Gunn, Senior Pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church,officiating and eulogy given by Rev. Dr. David A. Jones, Senior Pastor of Williams Memorial Baptist Church. Rev. Prunty will then be interred at Franklin Memorial Park, near his mother Blanche and right next to his wife Lovie. There will be no repass.

Arrangements entrusted to Stanfield Mortuary Service of Rocky Mount, VA.

“May the works I’ve done speak for me”