Gayla Pratt, age 55 years old of Madison, Alabama, passed away on Saturday night at the Madison Hospital where she fought bravely for more than a month. She was born on the 5th of November in 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of the late Charles Jackson and Delores Sadie Butler Jackson. She married Andre Joseph Pratt in New York City. Gayla grew up in Marlboro, Brooklyn, New York. She spoke frequently of her fond childhood memories and of the numerous family and friends that surrounded each other with love and affection. Until five years ago when she moved to Alabama to be with her sons and their families, she managed a daycare in Brooklyn. Her “babies” at the daycare were never far from her thoughts and she missed them all dearly when she moved. Gayla loved family and traveling. She loved the beaches in New York, and she also spent numerous summers with her daughter-in-law’s family at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. She also traveled frequently back to her beloved New York as often as she could to visit with old friends.
Gayla will be missed dearly by her numerous friends and family who mourn her passing. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Delores (Butler) Jackson and her grandparents, Paul and Helen (Hall) Butler and Solomon and Viola (Pugh) Jackson. Those left to cherish her memory are her two sons: Justin Andre Pratt (Mariah) and Brandon Joseph Pratt (Awbri). Six grandchildren: Yazmeen, Alessandra, T.J., Marlo, Justin and Ebony. Two sisters and one brother: Charlene Jackson Denton, Nicole Jackson Denis and Lemar Jackson. Nieces and nephews: Shearon, Cherie, Matthias, Nehemiah, Nazarah and Noah.
Covid guidelines for indoor gatherings will be followed with masks required. If you have been exposed to Covid or are feeling unwell, please refrain from attendance. A repast is not planned. The family requests that memorial donations in Gayla’s name be sent to ChildCare Aware of America (www.childcareaware.org), a national organization that helps ensure that all families have access to quality, affordable childcare.
