Maurice Thomas Prior

M.T. Prior, 97, of Punta Gorda, Florida, passed away on May 23, 2024, surrounded by family. He was born on September 10, 1926, in Tampa, Florida.

M.T. was a warrior from his early years. One of 12 siblings, he fought his way growing up during the Great Depression, then joined the Army, serving from WWII through the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. He shared those years and travels with the great love of his life, Renee, and their 7 boisterous children.

After retiring from the Army, the lifelong warrior was able to find a measure of peace working the soil, building a small farm in Arkansas with his beloved wife Renee and the younger children. M.T. and Renee ultimately returned to his home state of Florida to care for her parents in their final years.

Pop (as his children and grandchildren also called him) was known to be quick-tempered but funny, a great storyteller, and a hard worker who passed on his amazing work ethic to his children. He was an alumnus of H B Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, and studied Horticulture at Central Texas College. M.T. was a lifelong Catholic.

Pop is survived by his children, Thomas Prior, Jan Moffitt, Denise Prior, Frank Prior, Scott Prior, and Tracy Seffers, as well as numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother Mary Jeannette Haskins Prior, father Lee Arthur Prior, wife Renee Sollish Prior, daughter Cathy Patterson, and several siblings.

A fighter to the end, as his children prayed around him, Pop released this life with a peaceful sigh into the arms of his beloved Renee, who was waiting for him with her dancing shoes on.

A private interment service will be held later in the year. Contributions in memory of Maurice and Renee Prior can be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.