William Pryor

1938 - 2015

William Evans Pryor
1938-2015
William Evans Pryor, 77, was born on January 21, 1938 to the late Paul L. Pryor and Dorothy E. Pryor in Dayton, Ohio at Good Samaritan Hospital. Bill stepped into eternity on February 22, 2015. He graduated from Oakwood High School in Dayton, Ohio in 1956. Bill graduated from The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. He was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and attained his varsity letter in football.
Bill is survived by three children William Evans Pryor, Jr. "Billy"; Edmund Randolph Pryor "Randy" of Austin; and Mary Anne "Molly" Pryor of The Woodlands as well as two grandsons Brock William Harris and Owen Randolph Pryor. His brother, Charles Robert Pryor and wife Diane Mary Pryor of Yellow Springs, Ohio, also survive him.
Bill worked as an executive for Lehman Brothers for approximately ten years leading offices in Houston, Texas and Paris, France. He was an entrepreneur and founded European Southwest Company in 1974 where he served as President and was the sole owner. For approximately twenty years the company drilled, developed, and operated oil and gas properties in the Southwestern region of the United States. In 1995, Bill formed Caspian Energy Ltd. and traveled extensively to Kazakhstan negotiating with their government to develop large, proven, non-producing oil fields in the Republic of Kazakhstan. He traveled internationally extensively and spoke French, German, Spanish and Russian. Bill had fond memories of living in Paris and subsequently visited it for decades.
Throughout his life, Bill enjoyed ranching operations in West Texas and New Mexico where he had a love of the mountains. He especially enjoyed working cattle from horseback as was traditionally done in the old West. Bill owned brands in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Montana. His favorite brand was 7 open A that was originally registered in Colorado in 1915 and has a rich history. In 1925, the Wolff Brothers from Nebraska purchased this brand. In 1985, Bill seized the opportunity to purchase the brand when the family decided to sell it. He also owned the Slash Turkey Track, which is a famous old brand located in the Texas Panhandle established in 1878 and was among one of the first five ranches in Texas.
As he loved art, music and literature, Bill avidly attended and supported the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet, and Houston Grand Opera. Bill was a member of the Executive Committee of The Glassell School of Art at the MFAH for many years. He was an accomplished painter with representation at Mission Gallery in Taos, New Mexico. Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock and William De Kooning mostly influenced his artwork. Additional artist he admired include Sam Francis, Calder, Frankenthaler, Remington, Rodin, and Cowen. Bill dearly loved his grand champion miniature schnauzer that he named Matisse.
Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from five o'clock until half-past five o'clock in the afternoon on Friday, the 13th of March, at The Bradshaw Carter Home, 1734 W. Alabama Street in Houston. The memorial service will immediately follow the visitation at half-past five o'clock. Following the service, all are invited to greet the family during a reception at Bradshaw-Carter.