On Tuesday, August 16th, 2022, Pelda (Pel) Mitchell Stringer Jr. was called home at the age of 85.
Pel was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on February 15th, 1937, to father P. M. Stringer Sr. and mother, Ruby Hegwood Stringer. Pel was the oldest of two children. When he was two, his family moved to Petal, Mississippi, where with other relatives they did farming and started the nursery business. In 1944, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to work with P.M.'s relatives in Stringer Bros. Nursery. Pel was a skilled athlete, running track and playing football and basketball. He worked in the family business, moving with his parents and sister to Tulsa in 1957, where his father opened Stringer Bros. Nursery. On June 12th, 1961, he married Linda Jayne Ford. They raised one daughter, Robin.
Pel was passionate about the Lord and felt the Lord calling him to ministry. In 1969, he and his family moved to Dallas and began attending Dallas Bible College. At the same time, he worked with The Navigators ministering to the military. In 1971, he formed Military Christian Ministries, where he worked alongside the military chaplain at Dallas Naval Air Station, caring for, witnessing, and discipling military personnel.
After eight years in Dallas, Pel and his family returned to Tulsa, where Pel opened Stringer Nursery in 1977, which he ran for thirty years. Throughout, his passion for the Lord remained strong. Pel served in many churches, writing and teaching Bible Studies, preaching, and serving the Lord wherever the Lord asked. In June 2016, Pel was ordained to the ministry by the Southern Baptist Convention. While his ministry slowed in his final years, Pel continued to love God and study the Bible.
Pel was preceded in death by his father, P.M., his mother Ruby, and his sister, Judy. He is survived by his wife Linda, daughter Robin [Paul] Drake, his grandchildren Amanda [Harrison] Smith, Daniel [Sara] Drake, Sarah [Joshua] Hockerman Drake, and great-grandchildren Jeremiah and Selah Smith.
Services will be held at the chapel at Memorial Park on Monday, August 22nd, 2022, at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a charitable organization of your choice. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233 share memories at www.moorefuneral.com