Charles I Pruneau

Dateline: McKenzie, TN 

It is with bittersweet sorrow that we said goodbye to a longtime resident and pillar of our community. Mr. Charles L. Pruneau passed peacefully in his sleep Tuesday, October 22, 2024, with his daughter and family by his side. He is survived by his daughter Michelle (Rick) Doscher, grandsons Stephen (Jennifer) Pressley, Alex (Bryanna) Pressley, great-granddaughter Camille Pressley, and sister Donna L. Pruneau.

Mr Pruneau was born in St. Louis, MO on February 19, 1939, to Ivan and Leona Pruneau. He graduated from Murray State University in 1961 and married (Donna M.) that summer. He began his teaching career in Missouri and came to McKenzie in 1965 as the high school and middle school band director. Mr. Pruneau was also, the Minister of Music for First Baptist Church in McKenzie in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. He officially retired from teaching in 2000, but 1998 was his last year as a high school band director. He continued to participate and direct church choirs and lead Bible studies, well into his retirement years. Mr. Pruneau served on the McKenzie City Council from Nov. 2012 until May 2024. After some coaxing, he decided to move to South Carolina and live with his daughter and son-in-law and enjoy being “Paw Paw” 100% of the time. Mr. Pruneau considered himself a lifelong educator. His innate ability to connect and to educate was the result of his patience and passion for encouraging individual growth in all his students. He loved the generational connections he had with many of his students and their families and always considered McKenzie his earthly home. 

Funeral services for Mr. Pruneau are Saturday, October 26, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at Brummitt McKenzie Funeral Home. The family will receive friends on Saturday, 11:00 a.m. until service time. Interment will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.