Janice Nearlene Pruitt

Janice Nearlene Pruitt, 83, of Hewitt, passed away peacefully at her home on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home in the Garden Room. A graveside funeral service will be held at Waco Memorial Park on Wednesday, September 23, at 11:00 a.m., with Pastor John Collier officiating.

Janice was born November 15, 1942, in Carmi, Illinois, the daughter of John Newton and Arvada (Sanders) Roye. She met the love of her life, Woody Pruitt, in her teenage years. Excited to start their new lives together, they married in 1961 shortly after graduating high school. They remained married until his passing in September 2021.

Janice is remembered by family and friends as always having a smile on her face and a laugh in her soul. Often described as “one of my favorite people to be around”, Janice raised three “mama’s boys” and frequently filled the role of “second mother” to each of her sons’ friends over the years. If anyone was ever put on this earth to be a mother, it was Janice. That role was only rivaled later in life when she became “Gram”, a doting grandmother to eight very lucky grandkids.

Above all else, she treasured three things throughout her life: her family, her faith and her friends. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, sibling and friend whose greatest joy came from the people she loved. Her family was the center of her earthly life, and her Christian faith was its foundation. She loved the Lord deeply and sought to live her life according to her faith, trusting in His grace through both life's blessings and its hardships. Her family takes great comfort in knowing that the faith she held so dearly throughout her life remained steadfast until the end, and that she is now at peace in the presence of her Savior.

Janice was preceded in death by her loving husband of 60 years, Woody; her grandson, Tyler Williams; and her siblings Sandra Roye, Mary Millikan, Ann Yates, John Roye, Ruth Prince, and Carl Roye.

Janice is survived by her three sons: Tony Pruitt and his wife, Kerri; Chris Pruitt and his wife, Christina; and Todd Pruitt and his wife, Lauren; her seven grandchildren: Colton, Cody, Kyler, Caleb, Ainsley, Bryahna and Payton; her brothers: J.P. Caldwell, Rex Roye and Don Roye; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and a host of family and friends.

Pallbearers will be her grandchildren Colton Pruitt, Cody Pruitt, Kyler Pruitt, and Caleb Pruitt and her nephews Randy Roye and Steve Roye.

The family invites you to leave a message or memory of Janice in her memorial guestbook at www.WHBfamily.com.