Maxine (Sprague) Prather

Margaret “Maxine” Prather, 101, from Arkansas City, Kansas, passed away on April 2, 2019 in Sacramento, California surrounded by family.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 13, 2019, at Shelley Family Funeral Home.  Interment will follow at the Newkirk Cemetery.  The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 9 to 10 a.m. before the service.

Maxine was born July 19, 1917, in Newkirk, Oklahoma to Bert and Edna Sprague.  She was raised in the Newkirk area and attended school in Newkirk.  She graduated from Newkirk High School in 1935.

Maxine married Elvin Taylor Prather on June 28, 1942 at the Free Methodist Church.  They moved to Wichita, Kansas where Maxine attended Business College.  Later moving to a farm near Blackwell, Oklahoma and then finally settling in Arkansas City, Kansas in 1945.

Maxine worked in the office of Newman’s Department Store and a bakery where she taught herself how to decorate cakes.  Her cake decorating became a full-time job and she became known as the “cake lady” around town.  She made many wedding and birthday cakes.

Maxine was also involved in many other organizations and activities.  Some of which were as a member of the First Baptist Church, Camp Fire Girls, Weight Watchers, election worker, Kiwanis Queens, Red Hat Society, and Ark City Jayhawker Camper Club.  While living in California with her daughter, she attended Bayside Church in Galt, was a member of Beta Sigma Phi, and completed traveling to all 50 States at the age of 101.

Maxine is preceded in death by her husband, ET, her parents and all six of her brothers and sisters.  She is survived by her daughter, Mona Beth (Prather) Gabriel, two grandchildren Anna Jones (Dan) and Howard Gabriel all living in California, and many nieces and nephews.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Shelley Family Funeral Home, Arkansas City, Kansas.

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