Kathleen Christenberry Pratt

Katy was born on the 16th of January 1921, in Cleveland, OH, the only child of Vera Corinne Doughty Christenberry and Rufus Lee Christenberry. At age six months, she and her parents moved to San Diego, CA where they lived for twelve years. During her remaining school years, the family frequently moved between cities in Texas and Louisiana causing Katy to change schools nearly every semester, eleven times, graduating North Dallas High School at age sixteen. Excited about attending a four year college, she embraced the community and activities at the University of Texas in Austin where she was chosen as Secretary of the University’s Junior Class Women, Treasurer of her Senior Class, Vice President of Beta Beta Alpha, an upper classman Sponsor of the Freshman Fellowship Club, a member of the Student-Faculty Relations Committee and the Cactus yearbook staff. A graduate of the Class of 1942, she most loved being a member of the Theta Zeta Chapter of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and was proud to be one of the few women studying for a Bachelor of Business Administration at what is now the McCombs School of Business.

With the U.S. at war, Katy’s first job was as a statistical clerk with the Army Air Force Training Command Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, and later as an advertising copywriter with the War Assets Administration. During that time she met Laurens Pratt, who was a great friend of her cousin, Ann Abright and husband, Reese. Katy and Laurens were married on the 16th of November 1946. Katy had a career as an advertising copywriter, eventually becoming an in-house employee for Battlestein’s department store. With the birth of her first daughter, Katy embraced motherhood and always said her proudest accomplishment in life was raising three children who became responsible and loving adults.

In the early 1960s, when her husband founded Pratt Engineering Company, Katy was able to put down permanent roots in Houston. Always there for her children, she led Camp Fire Girls, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Many remember her hiking tunes, especially “My Name is Jon Jonson” which has been passed on from generation to generation. Just this month her great-granddaughter, Maggie, was reciting it to her beloved “Granmommy.”

As her children grew more independent, Katy became more actively involved in various civic and institutional organizations, including the Lady Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the American Museum Society, the En Amie Review Club, and serving as a docent at St. Luke’s Methodist Church, a two-time director of Women of Rotary Houston, a president of the Memorial Drive Garden Club, and Tri-Delta where she was a Golden Circle Chairman and Diamond Circle Pin honoree. Ever pursuing knowledge, in the 1980s she took several college courses in DOS and Fortran computer programming with students four decades younger. Katy will be well remembered for her annual newsletter “The Pratt Report” designed and printed on one of the first generation personal computers.

Loving to explore new places, Katy and Laurens travelled to Europe, Japan and China. Katy also planned special trips “just for the girls,” including the Memorial Drive Garden Club trip to the Natchez Pilgrimage. Sewing Club was Katy’s special group for fellowship. Meeting for lunch twice monthly could not be missed! Of course, she also organized a fabulous trip to Las Vegas for the group. Her itinerary packed in so many shows, tours, and shopping extravaganzas that the “sewing club girls” only had time to “gamble” as they left town – playing the slot machines at the airport before boarding the return flight home!

When all their children were grown, Katy and Laurens opened the “Pratt Country Club”, a.k.a., the pool in the backyard. Katy’s home was a gathering place for multiple generations of family. “GG’s” great-grandchildren, Brady, Maggie, James and Levi knew exactly where to find the treasure trove of toys she kept especially for them. Backyard pot luck suppers and pool parties were a staple, especially on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Katy also regularly hosted water aerobics twice a week for her exercise group.

An avid reader, Katy enjoyed her Tri Delta Pine Needle Readers group and Chapelwood book club, and she read the newspaper cover to cover, often saving articles that she wanted to make sure one of her children didn’t miss.

A loving wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, cousin, and friend, Katy was preceded in death by her beloved husband of fifty-six years, Laurens, her devoted son, Jimmy Pratt and her adored son-in-law, Richy Wilkens. Katy is survived by her daughters, Sandy Wilkens, Mary K. Burtner and husband, Bob; her grandchildren, Derry Wilkens, Richard Wilkens and wife Mary Lee, Robert Burtner, Kathleen Baker and husband Matt, and Ellen Anne Burtner; and four great-grandchildren Brady and James Wilkens and Maggie and Levi Baker; and Ann and Reese, the children of her dearest first cousin and “sister” Ann.

The family would like to acknowledge the physicians, nurses and therapists who attend to Katy's needs with the utmost skill and compassion: her physicians of over twenty years, Dr. Martin White and Dr. Arup Achari; the professionals of Active Care Home Health, Shamsi Taheri, Donna Urquhart, and Rachel Lackey; and the caregivers of LaDonna’s Dream Care, LaDonna Williams, Geneé Sparks-Robinson, and especially Sheila Cortez, her pal on daily adventures this past year.

A memorial service will be conducted at eleven o'clock in the morning on Thursday, the 6th of September, in the chapel of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer Road in Houston, where Dr. Tom Pace, Senior Pastor, is to officiate. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception to be held in the adjacent Hines Baker Room.

Prior to the memorial service, the family will have gathered for a private interment at Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions be directed to the Mary Kathleen Christenberry Pratt Scholarship in Business and sent to McCombs School of Business; Attn: Bruce Costner; 2110 Speedway Mail Stop B6006; Austin, TX 78712; or to the charity of one’s choice.