May 21, 1920 - July 30, 2011

Cynthia Jo Hall Pryor, 91, of Huntsville passed away Saturday. She was born in the Red Hill community of Elmore County, the eighth child but only daughter of Joel Macon Hall and Cynthia Kennedy Hall. She accepted Christ at the age of 10. In a testimony given many decades later for a senior citizens group, she said that she could "still remember the wonderful sense of cleansing relief I felt when I knew the forgiveness of Christ and His acceptance."

She was a graduate of Tallassee High School in Tallassee. She also graduated from Blue Mountain College in Mississippi in 1942, where she was elected president of the student body. She taught at Tallassee High School until 1944, at which time she accepted a position with the Alabama Baptist Convention in Montgomery as director of ministry to youth and students. For the next three years, she planned numerous student conventions, retreats and religious emphasis weeks for college students in Alabama and Georgia. In his book "By the Grace of God," Dr. A. Earl Potts wrote the following about Cynthia Jo Hall: "A gifted communicator, she was a dynamic young people's leader and student worker. ... The Lord blessed her with a good mind and a caring heart, and she dedicated both to the Lord. She maximized her opportunities for service as an able speaker, whether it was speaking from the pulpit encouraging the worshipers in their Christian pilgrimage, speaking in state associational meetings or leading conferences at state assemblies and at Ridgecrest." 

On Aug. 2, 1947, she married Thomas Sanford Pryor in Montgomery. During their first year of marriage, they moved to Hattiesburg, Miss. Sanford was transferred back to Montgomery in 1948 and their first child, Cynthia, was born there in 1949. Several years later, Sanford was transferred to Corpus Christi, Texas. Their second child, Emily, was born there in 1953.

In 1957, the family moved to Birmingham. In 1961, Sanford accepted a position with the Army Missile Command and they moved to Huntsville, where they joined First Baptist Church. In Huntsville, Jo resumed her teaching career. She taught at Huntsville High School from 1961-1973 and at Whitesburg Middle School from 1973-1980. She was greatly loved and appreciated by many students. She "went the extra mile" in many ways, such as planning and leading student trips to Washington, D.C., for government seminars, helping plan the school-to-school exchange program between Huntsville City Schools and Barranquilla, Colombia, serving on the Social Studies Task Force for the state of Alabama and serving as sponsor for the senior class and student council.

She received the Scottish Rite Americanism award in 1975 for her outstanding practice and promotion of Americanism through public education. In 1990, she was awarded the National Medal of Honor by the National Daughters of the American Revolution for outstanding performance in the fields of leadership, service, patriotism and trustworthiness. After retirement, she continued to teach as a volunteer at the First Baptist Church English as a Second Language ministry, for which she taught the American citizenship classes. She taught Sunday school in the Baptist Church continually from age 14 until age 88 and also served on numerous First Baptist Church committees. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and the Twickenham Study Club. She was an inspiration to young people in Huntsville, many of whom expressed their appreciation to her in writing. In March 2010, she received such a letter from a former student who wrote, "Over the years, I have spoken about what a great teacher you were and how you instilled lifelong lessons in me, i.e., reading the newspaper daily and being an informed citizen. ...I do wish students today had the interest to learn and teachers to teach what is important and what it means to be a proud American as we were taught by great teachers like you." 

Mrs. Pryor's descendants are her two daughters, Cynthia Pryor Johnson of Kingsport, Tenn., and Emily Pryor Burwell of Huntsville; four grandchildren, Robert Edward Johnson of Bristol, Tenn., Susan Elizabeth Johnson Nell of Chicago, Mary Helen Burwell Russell of Huntsville and Thomas Pryor Burwell of Huntsville; and two great-grandchildren, Joshua Ervin Smith Jr. and Charity Rose Russell.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas Sanford Pryor, who died on Aug. 11, 2004; and by her older brothers, Homer Hall, Forrest Hall, Willis Hall, Maynor Hall, Carlton Hall, Jack Hall and Dewey Hall, all of Elmore County.

Visitation will be at Laughlin Service Funeral Home today from 6 to 8 p.m. The funeral will be held in the First Baptist Church chapel at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Memorial donations may be made to First Baptist Church, 600 Governors Drive S.W., Huntsville, AL 35801.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/huntsville/name/cynthia-pryor-obituary?id=20396429