Mrs. Pritchett was the daughter of the late Reginald and Grace Barr. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64-years, Harold “Sonny” Pritchett, her brothers, Reginald and Bobby Barr, and sisters, Arlene Owens and Georgia Eiland.
Mrs. Pritchett is survived by her children: Patsy Pritchett, Ray Pritchett (Lori), Ginger Land (Mark), and Norma Kernels (Bill); her grandchildren: Austin Kernels (Tiffany), Ashley Bays (Levi), Trey Pritchett (Marian), and Blake Pritchett (Hannah); her great grandchildren: Noah, Kylie, Bellamy, Parker, Eliza, and Harrison; one brother-in-law, Tommy Pritchett, and one sister-in-law, Mary Jim Barr; and numerous nieces, nephews, and life-long friends.
Her life began in Providence, Rhode Island. As a small child, her family experienced a devastating hurricane that led to their relocation to Smith Station, AL. It also cemented her fear of bad weather. There were three things she didn’t like: bad weather, spiders, and the dark. Other than that, she loved all of the most important parts of life. She loved having a twin brother and reporting his daily behavior to her parents. She loved being sisters with Arlene and Georgia. She and Mary Jim were best friends from grade school to the last day of her life. She introduced that best friend to her oldest brother Reginald. In turn, Reginald introduced Mrs. Barbara to a National Guard friend, a handsome fella named Sonny Pritchett. The double date led to marriage for both couples.
She loved being a busy mother to four children, Aunt Barbara to many, and living her life with siblings and life-long church friends. She cooked everyone’s favorite dishes and put many Sunday meals on the table for family and friends. She made sure all four children were dressed and ready for church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. She served in several capacities over the years at Grace Baptist Church, Glenn Anthony Baptist, and Beallwood Baptist.
Her first job was at the Krystal on River Road in the 1950’s. She then worked a split shift at the phone company where her and her friends would walk from the phone company to the Greyhound bus station. She spent 21 years working at Fort Benning, Georgia as a procurement specialist. While working at Fort Benning she carpooled every day with a very special friend and there is no doubt that they solved many life problems on the commute.
A great joy in life came with the title of MeeMaw. Suddenly, she would make a favorite meal at 10:00 at night, run a shuttle service to anywhere they needed to go, buy cute new outfits, and baby sit every time she was asked.
Sooner than anyone imagined, the world of Dementia/Alzheimer’s took over the person we loved so dearly. Every person who knew her, knew they were loved deeply by her. For the last couple of years, we all knew she missed her husband. We knew we were good drivers and our shirts were pretty. Her quick-wit remained and she preferred watching game shows and Gospel music.
While we spent many years having to say good-bye to our mom, none of us were ready to let her go. She died comfortably surrounded by her children and was no doubt greeted by our Heavenly Father and our Earthly Father in the twinkling of an eye.
A visitation for family and friends will be held on Monday, December 11, 2023 at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary from 5:00-7:00pm. A service to celebrate her life will be Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 2:00pm at the Striffler-Hamby Chapel, followed by graveside service at Park Hill Cemetery. Reverend Billy Duncan and Pastor Seth Hon will be officiating. Serving as pallbearers will be Mark Land, Bill Kernels, Austin Kernels, Trey Pritchett, Blake Pritchett, Levi Bays, and Matthew Lang.
Memorial may be made to Columbus Hospice, www.columbushospice.com
