Jenny Pruitt

She was born in Atlanta in 1939, as the oldest of three children, and was a third-generation Atlantan.

She attended R.L. Hope and E. Rivers Elementary School and North Fulton High School. She also attended Georgia State University and graduated from Massey Business College.

In 1966, Jenny married Bob Pruitt, the love of her life. They had a long and exciting life together for 58 years. Jenny and Bob had two daughters, Stephanie and Susan.

Jenny, a deeply respected leader in residential real estate for more than five decades, will be remembered as a fearless entrepreneur, dedicated community advocate, philanthropist and visionary.

Jenny entered the real estate business in 1968 as a sales agent with Northside Realty. She became Vice President/Managing Broker for Northside Realty in 1976, and in 1983, she joined Buckhead Brokers as a Senior Vice President/Managing Broker.

In 1988, Kim King, a commercial developer and venture capitalist, offered to help Jenny start her own company, and that was how she and Bob Pruitt founded Jenny Pruitt and Associates, with Bob serving as the Chief Financial Officer. Jenny always said they enjoyed their tremendous success because of Bob’s financial acumen.

Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices division, bought their company in 2001, and Jenny served as CEO until the fulfillment of her contract in January 2007. In May 2007, she and her son-in-law, David Boehmig, then CEO of Jenny Pruitt and Associates, founded Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty Jenny loved the real estate business for over 50 years and always said she never worked a day in her life because she genuinely loved her profession.

Jenny was committed to share her love of Jesus Christ, her Lord, and served Jesus in every area of her life. She did nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit and, in humility, counted others more significant than herself (Philippians 2:39).

She believed the key to building a successful company was establishing a culture modeled from servant leadership, where people feel appreciated and included. “If you care for the people first,” Jenny said, “the bottom line will come.”

Jenny was blessed with many honors and accolades. These included the Atlanta Realtors Association’s E.A. Isakson Award; the Sally Washburn Lifetime Achievement Award; Realtor of the Year – 1980; the Georgia Small Business Person of the Year, and she served as President of the Atlanta Realtors Association in 2001. Jenny was an inductee of the Business Hall of Fame at Georgia State University, the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers, and the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame. Additionally, she was the 2016 recipient of the Four Pillar Award from The Council for Quality Growth, received the Women of Influence Lifetime Achievement Award by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2022, and was chosen as the 2023 Honoree for the Atlanta History Center Swan House Ball.

Jenny is survived by her husband, Bob, daughters, Susan Taylor and Stephanie Boehmig (David), sister, Jackie Sanford, brother, Sandy Sanford, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.

A celebration of life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, October 21 at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Shepherd Center, Atlanta Humane Society or Samaritan’s Purse, organizations that Jenny cared deeply about.