Mary-Claire Gerber Prater age 69 of Athens, died Saturday, April 19th, 2014 in her home. She was born October 14, 1944 in New York to Charles Gerber and Florence Raskin Gerber.
Services for Mrs. Prater are Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at Isom’s Chapel United Methodist Church at 1:00 p.m. She will lie-in-state from 12:00 until 1:00 p.m. Visitation will be Tuesday, April 22, 2014 from 6:00 until 9:00 p.m. at Limestone Chapel Funeral Home. Burial will be in Isom’s Chapel Cemetery with Eddie Gooch, Dave Wood and John Prater officiating.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Florence Gerber of Virginia.
She is survived by her husband Dennis Prater of 35 years, Athens; sons, Charles Binder and wife Regina of Leeds and Henry Prater of Chelsea; grandson, Raymond Binder; brother, Alan Gerber and wife Liani of Germany; sister, Janet Gardener and husband Leonard of Arizona; stepmother, Ray Gerber of Virginia; stepbrothers, Frank Friedland and wife Marsha and Bernard Friedland and wife Ceila of Virginia and a large extended family and a host of friends.
If you ever saw a crowd of people laughing, you would usually find her in the center of it. She became a Christian in 1989 and was a dedicated member of lsom’s Chapel United Methodist Church. She had served as Church Treasurer and was an active supporter of the United Methodist Women, the children’s program, the choir, and Upward Basketball. She was very active in East Limestone as a former substitute teacher and booster club member for whom she ran the Spirit booth at the football games for many years. She worked mainly as a bookkeeper in various professions for the 50 years she worked, including McClary Tire in Decatur and Cluxtons Jewelers of Athens. She enjoyed making memory books for her friends to celebrate special occasions. She leaves behind a legacy of love of people, the ability to brighten your day with a laugh or a smile, and a score of lives she touched by her kindness. She was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.
Pallbearers are Greg Balch, Mark Goodman, Fred Moss, Stanley Williams, Clint Wood and Cory Wood.
