Robert Prather
Marriages
Merline Burdick - August 20, 1942
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 8A - December 28, 2011
Robert Ewin "Bob" Prather, 90
years old, died in his sleep at his
home in Fruita, Colorado on Friday,
December 23, 2011. He was
preceded in death by his wife of
57 years, Merline; his parents,
Thomas Ewin Prather and Sarah
Paris Prather; brother, William C.
"Bill" Prather, and grandson, Dustin Bert Prather.
Surviving are his four sons, Robert D. "Bob" (Mary) of Grand
Junction, CO; William L. "Lyle" (Margaret), Ned H. (Dollie), and
Richard L. "Dick" (Connie), all of DeBeque, CO; daughter, Nancy
R. Gibson, Lakewood, CO; sister, Pauline "Polly" (Kenneth) Duffy,
Grand Junction, CO; and brother, Thomas R. "Tom" (Deborah), Ft.
Myers, FL; 11 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; one
great-great-grandchild, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Bob was born on September 27, 1921 in Nashville, Tennessee. His
parents, Tom and Sarah started ranching in the DeBeque area and
soon Bill, Polly, and Tom were born. Bob graduated from DeBeque
High School in 1939 and married Merline Burdick on August 30,
1942. Together they began a life of ranching and raising their family
in the Roan Creek/DeBeque area. Bob entered the Army in 1945
and proudly served overseas in World War II.
Bob and Merline were very active in the community, and Bob
served for several years on the DeBeque School Board. They often
opened their home to their friend's and neighbor's children, taking in
several over the years. They were as proud of their "other kids" as
they were their own and enjoyed watching them build their lives and
raise their families. Although keeping up with the ranch work kept
them busy most of the time, one of Bob's greatest pleasures was sitting
in on a good poker game with his friends.
In 1980, after retiring from the hard work of ranch living, Bob and
Merline moved to Mother's dream home in Grand Junction. They
were so pleased to have a place big enough to host their many relatives
and early morning coffee friends. Merline's health began to
fail, and on October 6, 1999, she passed away.
For the next 11 years, Bob shared many good times with his
life-long friend, Dixie Williams, helping her manage her farm until
her death in the spring of 2011.
In September of this year, Bob celebrated his 90th birthday with
many family members and friends. He repeated several times how
proud he was to have such a wonderful family and so many good
friends over the years.
Bob is most remembered for his abundant generosity, sincerity,
honesty, and staying true to his beliefs. He greatly valued his reputation,
always honored his parents, was a loyal friend and neighbor,
and was loved and respected by all who knew him.
Visitation will be Saturday, December 31 at Martin Mortuary at
12:00 p.m., services will follow at 1:00 p.m.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D In Memoriam - December 23, 2012
Robert E. Prather
September 27, 1921 – December 23, 2011
Dad,
It’s been a year today since you
left us, thus marking your second
Christmas in Heaven. One can
only imagine what it must be like
celebrating the birth of a sweet
little baby born so long ago.
Christmas was your favorite
holiday and you hurried about at
your usual fast pace, putting up
lights and making your yearly trip to Enstrom’s for boxes of toffee.
You appreciated how much work folks put into decorating their
homes for others to enjoy and delighted in teasing the little ones
about being naughty or nice with that “old St. Nick” twinkle in your
eyes.
You hand picked special Christmas cards for the family, personally
delivering them to those of us lucky enough to live close by,
also sending out more than one hundred cards to friends and relatives,
each with a hand-written note inside.
Time was your special gift to all of us, Dad, and we thank you.
Though we miss you “Old Papa Christmas”, we are celebrating a
hopeful and thankful Christmas.
We love you,
Bobby, Mary and Family.
A Belated Thank You:
To those special people we missed last year, Martin Mortuary;
Robert “Bobby” Ferguson - for conducting Dad’s service; The spe -
cial ladies at Albertson’s Deli and Bakery for putting together , in
Dad’s words, “an elegant meal”; David Prather - for the use of the
Mesa Theater for the celebration of Dad’s life, and many other
friends and family. Most of all - The Honor Guard for presenting the
colors at the graveside service. Dad would have been so proud to
shake the hands of the two young soldiers thanking them for the ir
service to our country.
Sorry Dad, I just couldn’t keep this very short.
Love Ya,
Mary
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 6B - December 27, 2011
Robert Prather, 90, Fruita,
died Dec. 23, 2011, at his home.
Visitation will be at noon
Saturday at Martin Mortuary.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday
at the mortuary. Burial
will follow at Grand Junction
Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Prather was a rancher.
Survivors include four sons,
Bobby of Grand Junction and
Lyle, Ned and Dick, all of De
Beque; one daughter, Nancy
Gibson of Lakewood; one brother,
Tom of Fort Myers, Fla.; one
sister, Polly Duffy of Grand
Junction; 11 grandchildren; 20
great-grandchildren; and one
great-great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions to
the Grand Valley Combined
Honor Guard, P.O. Box 4438,
Grand Junction 81502.
