A resident of Claremont since 1974, Patricia Watts Prather died on April 7, 2009 at Claremont Manor following a long illness with pulmonary fibrosis.  She was 76.

A native of New Mexico, Ms. Prather was born in Roswell on June 23, 1932.  She grew up there and in El Reno, Oklahoma and attended several colleges before graduating from the University of Florida in 1957.  Later, she received her law degree from the University of La Verne.  In 1958, she married Robert James Prather Jr. of Laurel, Mississippi.

Following the death of her husband in 1973, Ms. Prather and her children relocated to Claremont.  She taught school at nearby Vineyard Elementary for many years and specialized in bilingual education.  She retired in 2000.

Ms. Prather was a member of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church and the Phi Mu Alumni Association.

Ms. Prather is survived by her brother, George Watts of Seal Beach; her daughters, Katherine Snodgrass of Altadena, Charlotte Milton of Memphis, Tennessee and Stephanie Moser of Pewaukee, Wisconsin; her son, Robert James Prather III of Cleveland, Georgia; and by her 8 grandchildren, Rebecca, Charlotte Jean and John Thomas Hare of Memphis, Tennessee, Mary Pat, Lisa and Robby Snodgrass of Altadena and Alex and Austin Moser of Pewaukee, Wisconsin.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. today, April 15, 2009 at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, 830 W. Bonita Ave., Claremont.  

Memorial donations may be made to The Ranches, 6209 Hendrix Rd., NE, 2 FL, Albuquerque, NM 87110, which provides help for children and their families.