Marjorie A. (Urich) Pratt

Marjorie A. Pratt, 93, of Hesperia, MI was born January 2, 1928, in Leila Hospital, Battle Creek, MI to Roscoe and Mary Ann (Runyon) Urich. On the morning of October 25, 2021, my beloved Mother, Grandmother of two, Great Grandmother of five, and Great, Great Grandmother of three passed peacefully into the arms of her beloved Savior Jesus Christ and was met by the love of her life my father, Jim Pratt who proceeded her in death on March 28, 2009.  He told her before he passed, he would come back for her, and we know he was waiting. Marjorie met Jim at a dance at the White Rabbit Dance Hall outside of Bellevue one night and all it took was one dance and they were inseparable for the next 62 years. Marge and Jim had many, many friends as they knew most of the people from their generation in the village of Bellevue, Michigan. They had three children together but lost their first daughter Diane Kaye in 1950 when she was only three years old having her tonsils out. My mother never fully recovered from that loss, but she was a strong woman. They had another daughter, (me) Linda Joan born in Sept of 1949 and in 1970 Marjorie discovered much to her surprise, that another child was on the way. But, alas, it was not to be, she gave birth prematurely to a son, Michael James, but he passed away after only one week.  Marge talked frequently in these last years of looking forward to seeing her children in Heaven again and I know she is holding them now.

Marjorie was blessed with two grandsons, Jeffrey Michael Schroder (Kymberly) and Robert James Schroder (Patti); she had five Great Grandchildren, Samantha Marie Schroder (Brandon Williams), Matthew James Schroder (Athena), Alexandra (Schroder) Mead (Dylan), Hannah Schroder, and Staci Lea Barker; and three Great-Great Grandsons, Bentley Woolfe, August "Goose" Breland, and Brenton (Schroder) Mead.

Marjorie went to work in 1950 for the Eaton Value Division in Battle Creek and retired after 30 years in 1980. She was the first woman Supervisor who worked there and championed the rights of Women Workers for 30 years. After retirement she and Jim traveled extensively to Alaska, Hawaii, California, Florida, Iowa, Canada, and spent winters in McAllen and Donna Texas for 22 years enjoying dancing, sightseeing, the company of many dear friends and relatives until Spring of 2008.

Marjorie was an avid collector of Indian Artifacts and recently confirmed that she was descended from American Cherokee Indians on her mother's side. She shared a birthday with her Great, Great, Great Grandfather George Fruits who was the last survivor of the Revolutionary War and who has a memorial to him in the Indianapolis region. He lived to be 114 years, 7 months, and 4 days as she very frequently told all acquaintances she met. Also, he was a personal associate of Daniel Boone.

Marge loved gardening, she grew and bred her own roses, enjoyed canning and preserving many kinds of fruits and vegetables every year, and taught us all how to do the same. She was a talented seamstress, sewing most of her own and her daughter's clothes for years; taught photography to the 4-H club members in Marshall during the 1960's. Marge was a talented artist, painting many items and collectables in their home at the lake where they relocated permanently from Marshall in 1994 where they had lived for 39 years since 1955. They built their lake home together with her brother-in-law Dick Stauffer, she was proud of the fact that she stained every board that went up inside the home herself.

Marjorie was also a very wise investor in the stock market. She was able to give financial assistance to all her family over the years in many ways including homes, cars, education, and helped her first grandson establish his own law practice along with his wife. She loved visiting us in our second home in Columbus, Ohio when I remarried and moved there. She loved shopping and attending our United Methodist Church and listening to us sing in the choir. Marjorie was actually a Woman of Many Talents but most of all she dearly loved her family, and we will all miss her greatly.

She is survived by her youngest sister Patty (Urich) Medich from Battle Creek, Michigan and was proceeded in death by two other sisters Eleanor Urich and Margaret (Urich) Stauffer of Monticello, Kentucky.

Services have been entrusted to Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services, 205 N. Elizabeth Street, Bellevue, MI 49021. A visitation will be held Thursday, October 28, 2021, from 3:00pm – 6:00pm and Friday, October 29, 2021, from 12:30pm until the time of the graveside service at 1:30pm at Riverside Cemetery, 201 N Main Street, Bellevue, MI 49021. You may also visit www.kempffuneralhome.com to sign the online guest register and leave a message for the family.