Justin Royce Prince, age 78 of Lawrenceburg, TN, passed away on March 16, 2025, after a brief illness. He was preceded in death by his parents, Arlie and Lillian Prince; and his siblings, Virgilla Mae Prince Kilburn, Ella Faye Prince Ray, William Arlie Prince, Elda L. Prince Wilford, and Edwina Prince Staggs. Justin is survived by his sister, Maudeen Prince Rogers; his wife Linda; two sons, Waylon and Corey Prince (Katie); two step-daughters, Jennifer Moore (Bobby) and Jill Murks (Rodney); and one step-son, Jason Moore. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Camden, Abigayle, and Camylla Prince; Brian and Brittany Perry; and Austin Murks; plus three great-grandchildren, Sawyer and Lucy Perry; and Carter Murks.
Justin graduated from Lawrence County High School and attended Columbia State Community College. He proudly served in the United States Army for five years and was stationed at Fort Polk, LA; and in Frankfurt, Germany; and Saigon, Vietnam. He worked at Murray Ohio Manufacturing for 20+ years in its time-keeping and time-study departments.
Justin was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he truly loved the gospel and his Savior. He fulfilled numerous callings within the Church, dedicating his time, talents, and energy to help those in need. He particularly loved working with the youth, where he would offer guidance, support—even tears—to help them navigate life’s difficult challenges. He also loved working with youth in the greater Lawrenceburg community. He served in various positions for both the Cub Scouts of America and the Boy Scouts of America, as well as a coach for a number of youth softball and Little League teams.
Justin never met a stranger and could often be found striking up a conversation and sharing a joke with people he met while shopping or standing in a line (much to the dismay of his more introverted oldest son). He loved sharing stories about the various events of his life, trips he’d been on, or fond memories of the past. Many of these stories begin with “Guess what we did XX number of years ago today?” which always caused deep introspection among his audience and taking various guesses until he’d gleefully give us the answer.
Justin enjoyed traveling and going on adventures with his boys. He loved visiting all things historical, especially Civil War battlefields, having toured sites in both major theaters of the war. Sports, particularly baseball, were his passion, which led to numerous trips to ballparks across the Major and Minor Leagues to catch a game. Bless him, he would willingly suffer rain, sleet, or cold to ensure that his boys had a great time, never leaving the game early, despite knowing that he’d probably catch a severe cold—or worse, the very next day.
Justin was also a voracious reader, having inherited his love of books from his parents. He accumulated more books than he had space for, but he made sure that he never ran out of things to read. He loved listening to and singing along with records, at first, then cassette tapes and later CDs. His musical tastes covered country, classic rock, and even top 40 hits; whatever had a good melody and lyrics, he would boisterously sing along. He could name obscure bands and hits and could often name where he was when he first heard a particular song, a trait that he successfully passed along to his boys.
Arrangements are being handled by Neal Funeral Home, 231 N. Military Avenue, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. The family will receive friends from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at Neal Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted at Neal Funeral Home at 3:00 PM Thursday, March 20, 2025. Interment will follow at New Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in Lawrenceburg, TN.
