Lawrence – Marilyn P. Pratt, 77, passed in peace on Friday, March 8, 2013 at Brandon Woods Retirement Community in Lawrence.
She is survived by a daughter, Bickell Lund of Eudora; a son, Wesley Pratt of Durham, North Carolina; two sisters, Judy Ruffing of Naples, Florida and Martha Carleton of San Francisco; a brother, Dewey Hughes of Ohio; four grandchildren and many friends. Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Pratt.
Born and raised in Ohio, the daughter of Eva and Ralph Bunker, Marilyn also resided in San Jose, California; Kansas City; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina; as well as travelling extensively during her lifetime.
Marilyn attended Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Education. She was fortunate enough to turn her love for literature into a career as a reading teacher.
Marilyn will be fondly remembered by her loved ones as a passionate and enigmatic woman known for her love of reading and her exotic garden, which was a celebrated part of the Gimghoul neighborhood in Chapel Hill. She never met a stranger, and her memory will live on through her many dear friends all across the world.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that donations be made in memory of Marilyn P. Pratt to either of the following organizations: Kansas VNA Hospice, 200 Main Street, Suite C, Lawrence, Kansas 66044; or Reach Out and Read Kansas City, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Mail Stop 1051, Kansas City, KS 66160.
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
i haven’t seen marilyn in the past few years but she was a good friend to me for several years after i moved to chapel hill … always invited me, one of her strays, to her fun holiday parties. she & francie & i went to brunch and/or dinner quite a bit during that time and celebrated our respective birthdays together for a few years. she was a giving, interesting woman and i trust that she is at peace. i will miss knowing she is no longer in our world.