Patricia Prather

Patricia Ann (Senior) Prather passed away on Wednesday morning, April 27, 2016 at home surrounded by her family in Seymour.

Patricia was born on September 18, 1935 in Mason, Illinois to her parents, Martin and Lula Mae (Logan) Senior. She attended Mason and Effingham schools where she was active in sports and cheerleading. More than anything, she loved the opportunity to learn.

At age 20, Patricia became a clerk for the United States Postal Service in Mason and was quickly appointed Post Mistress. She would serve the town of Mason for 35 years before retiring. Patricia played bass in her family's gospel group, Lula Mae and the Belles. She was able to travel with her family sharing the Gospel and using her gifts for ministry.

On April 6, 1985, she married Reverend Lee Prather. For 30 years, she worked alongside Lee in his ministry. She had the most generous heart and spirit. She embodied everything that was good in the world. She had many "furry" children that brought her the greatest joy. Aunt Patty was also a second mom to her many nieces and nephews. She loved only the way an aunt could. She was always the cool aunt with the fast cars, the best sleepover parties, and was up for anything even teaching cartwheels and handstands in her 50's! She loved the Chicago Cubs and remained the eternal optimist waiting for "next year".

When Lee passed away in August of 2015, Patricia moved to Seymour to be with her sister and family. During her short time in Seymour, such great hospitality was shown to her. She would often remark on what a blessing it was to live in a small town that cares even for a stranger. Thank you to the employees at Dairy Queen for always being nice to her as her daily visits for her Butterfinger blizzard was a bright spot in the day. Having her hair fixed was always important and she found wonderful stylists at Hair Graphics. Thank you Colleen and Debbie for making her feel at home and keeping her beautiful. Thank you to Dr. Kari Sheldon in Black Creek for being an amazing and caring doctor. Your care for our family was more than could have ever been expected. Thank you to Joel and Kurt for understanding how important Patricia was to us and doing everything you could to make her transition home be as dignified as possible. Thank you to Whitney for being a respectful and loving caregiver. Thank you for helping us keep her home. Finally, thank you to Immanuel Lutheran of Cicero for being a second church family to Patricia. She loved attending church and marveled at how special and friendly the congregation was. She looked forward to hearing and seeing the ministry of VBS.

Patricia is survived by her sisters: Kathleen Albert of Seymour and Jeanne Garrod of Florida; her nieces: Lynette Stoneburner ( Pastor Ty) of Black Creek, Krystle Schuette (Mike) of Effingham, Monica Albert of Chicago; nephew Dustin Herrmann of Neenah; great niece Caittlyn Herrmann of Black Creek and Max Schuette of Effingham. She has several family members in Illinois. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Keith Senior, sister Carole Scroggins and husband Lee Prather.

Funeral services will be conducted in Illinois at a future date with the Reverend Ty Stoneburner officiating.