February 10, 1930 – December 9, 2019
Harold Pruner died peacefully in Houston, Texas, on December 9, 2019, two months short of his 90th birthday, after a brief but valiant battle with gallbladder cancer. Harold was born on February 10, 1930, in Chickasha, Oklahoma, to Charles Beaver Pruner and Cynthia Payne (Anderson) Pruner. Proud of his Native American heritage, Harold was the great grandson of Black Beaver, a renowned scout who helped blaze the Chisolm Trail and the California Trail and a peacemaker who translated at many treaty negotiations throughout the West.
Harold was preceded in death by his 11 brothers and sisters and his beloved wife of 57 years, Ann Stamper Pruner, who passed in 2008. He is survived by his three sons, and their wives, Mark (Libby), Russell (Robin) and David (Alie) and his grandchildren Lauren, Matthew, Dagney (her husband, Carlos), and Collier.
Following high school graduation from Chickasha High School in 1948, Harold enlisted in the US Air Force and while based at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, he met Ann Stamper and they married in 1951. After serving for four years, he attended the University of Oklahoma on the G.I. bill, earning a degree in Geological/Geophysical Engineering. After college, Harold worked for Shell Oil Company as a petroleum engineer, and while building a family of three boisterous boys with Ann, moved seven times to different oil towns throughout the U.S. He was also appointed by the Delaware tribe to recover the damages for a string of broken treaties that were before the Indian Claims Commission and the U.S. Congress.
In 1967, he was hired by Morgan Guaranty to head up a group within their growing energy practice and the family settled in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Harold then named Executive Director of the Oil Investment Institute and successfully lobbied Congress investment partnership regulation. Harold struck out on his own in the mid-1970s to form and market oil and gas partnerships with both U.S. and international investors.
In 1986, he and Ann moved fulltime to their house in Ponte Vedra, Florida. An avid golfer, Harold made seven holes-in-one during his life. After Ann’s death, Harold moved to Houston in 2015 to live closer to family. Through all these moves, Harold gained many friends with his sense of humor and a joke for every occasion.
The family would like to thank the staff of Family Tree and The Tradition as well as Harold’s dear friend Patsy Donosky who came down from Dallas to pray with him, and he passed peacefully after her visit. A memorial service will be held in the Spring in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The National Museum of the American Indian - Gustav Heye Center in New York City, where Harold served as a director for many years. Please note on the form that they are in memory of Harold Pruner and indicate NMAI-NY on the memo line. https://support.si.edu/site/Donation2?4141.donation=form1&df_id=4141.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.AdvantageHoustonFunerals.com for the PRUNER family.
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