The Rev. Edsel Pruett

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Rev. Edsel P. Pruett, 79, of Bloomfield died Saturday, June 23, 2007, at Cypress Point Skilled Nursing.

He was born June 20, 1928, at Bloomfield, son of Johnny and Mary Osburn Pruett. He and Reva Cook were married March 31, 1951.

He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1970 after serving 23 years. He lived in Poplar Bluff, Mo., until 1990 when he moved to Bloomfield.

He was ordained as a nondenominational minister in 1958 and served at several churches in the area as well as in Alaska and California. He was a member of the Living Waters Worship Center in Bloomfield.

Survivors include his wife of Bloomfield; a son, Bloyce Pruett of Kansas City; three brothers, Loran Pruett of Bloomfield, Carman Pruett of Kenton, Tenn., and Cletus Pruett of Dexter, Mo.; three sisters, Claudina Mann of Jackson, Fredia Waggoner and Lora Lee Cox, both of Dexter; three grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant son and two sisters.

Friends may call from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield.

Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the funeral home, with the Revs. James Hook and Cotus James officiating. Burial will be in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield with military rites conducted by the Stoddard County Veterans Honor Guard.