Minette Drumwright Pratt

Minette Williams Drumwright Pratt—a remarkable, accomplished, beloved woman—died on June 15, 2024, at the age of 93. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandparent, denominational servant, speaker, author, and Baylor Regent. One hymn particularly captures Minette—she deeply believed and lived out the Girls’ Auxiliary hymn, “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations.” Throughout her life, Minette had a heart and passion for missions. She was an active member and leader of Southern Baptist missions organizations including Sunbeams, Girls’ Auxiliary, Invincibles, and the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU). Later, she worked at the Foreign Mission Board (now the International Mission Board) as the inaugural Director of International Prayer Strategies.

Minette was born on Nov. 3, 1930, to Tallie Williams and Minnie Musgrave Williams in Nixon, Texas, where her father was the pastor of the First Baptist Church. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to San Antonio where her father was pastor of the Northside Baptist Church until he retired. Minette’s mother was the church pianist, founded and taught at the church-affiliated school, and led the church’s mission programs.

Minette earned a B.A. in English from Baylor University in 1951. At Baylor, she was a member of Alpha Omega sorority, a Baylor Beauty, the star quarterback of the powder puff football team, and an active member of the summer missions program, The Invincibles. While a Baylor student, she met a dynamic pastor and scholar, Huber L. Drumwright, Jr., who was a doctoral student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. They fell in love and married shortly after Minette’s graduation. When they married, Huber was pastor of the

First Baptist Church of Allen, and Minette was an English teacher at Allen High School, which was so small that she taught all four grades. Huber went on to pastor churches in Texas and Oklahoma, and Minette led numerous missions action projects, Bible studies, Bible schools, and WMUs.

Minette and Huber returned to Fort Worth in 1960 for Huber to accept a full-time position as a Professor of Greek and New Testament at Southwestern Seminary. He later became Dean of the School of Theology, and she took on the role of a Dean’s spouse while continuing many of her own pursuits. They joined Broadway Baptist Church, and Minette’s passion for “mission action” flourished through a cutting-edge initiative called the Broadway Baptist Center. Minette designed and led programs for low-income women, battered women, orphans, unwed mothers, and women prisoners.

Blessed with boundless energy throughout her life, Minette was a speaker and Bible teacher and served on boards for the Women’s Missionary Union, Home Mission Board (now the North American Mission Board), Baptist General Convention of Texas, Seminary Woman’s Club, Woman’s Club of Fort Worth, Friends of the Fort Worth Library, Lena Pope Children’s Home, Edna Gladney Home (for unwed mothers), and Dorcas House (for battered women.) Minette attended Southwestern Seminary and later served as President of the Southwestern Seminary Alumni. In 1978, she wrote a seminary extension study guide, Women in the Church. Minette received the Mrs. J.M. Dawson Award for outstanding contributions to the denomination from the Southern Baptist Convention Ministers’ Wives Conference in 1984.

Minette and Huber lived a life of adventure. They lived briefly in Princeton, New Jersey, and Athens, Greece, during Huber’s sabbatical leaves for postdoctoral studies at Princeton Theological Seminary and

the American School for Classical Studies in Athens. Minette later wrote a book, When My Faith Seems Shallow: Pursuing the Depths of God, based on insights that she had while taking a course at Princeton Theological Seminary. Minette and Huber traveled Europe and the Middle East often, and both were lecturers for study tours of the Bible Lands and Europe.

In 1980, Minette and Huber moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where Huber served as the Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Arkansas. After 18 months, Huber died of a sudden heart attack when Minette was 50 years old. Shortly thereafter, Minette was asked to join the leadership team of Keith Parks and Bill O’Brien at the Foreign Mission Board (FMB) in Richmond, Virginia. She worked at the FMB for 13 years and was the inaugural Director of International Prayer Strategies through which she designed programs to engage churches and individuals in prayer for foreign missions. She launched a prayer line relaying the latest prayer requests of missionaries, and she traveled the world to speak, teach, preach, and lead programs on prayer in far flung places such as Moldova, China, and Africa. As Minette stated, “Although some governments won’t let missionaries in, they can’t keep the effects of prayer out.”

Former FMB President Keith Parks said, “Minette’s ministry was at the heart of what we were trying to do at the Foreign Mission Board – evangelization that results in churches. Minette’s move to the Foreign Mission Board was providential because of her previous mission exposure in WMU, the Home Mission Board, and as a seminary professor’s wife. But the key to her filling her position was her own personal prayer life and commitment to her own spiritual development.”

Minette had remarkable experiences during her service at the FMB, some of which are captured in her book, The Life That Prays: Reflections on a Prayer as a Strategy. Minette demonstrated that she really did have “a story to tell to the nations that would turn their hearts to the right.” She did so as a resourceful, innovative, gifted communicator, inspired speaker, teacher, and preacher and by the way she lived her life.

Upon retirement, Minette returned to Fort Worth. She served on the Baylor University Board of Regents from 1999 to 2008 and was an early and strong advocate of establishing the Baylor Honors College. Baylor was one of the loves of her life, and she considered it a great privilege to serve Baylor and its students. While serving as a Baylor Regent, Minette was blessed to re-meet and fall in love with Dr. William (Bill) Pratt, a retired pastor and psychologist, and they married in 2002. Bill became an honorary Baylorite, and they did many important and fun things together. Bill truly lived out his vow to be a loving partner in sickness and in health as he loved, cared for, and supported Minette through her long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease until his death in April of 2024. Minette’s family is eternally grateful to him.

Minette’s family expresses deep gratitude to all her friends, neighbors, colleagues, caregivers, pastors, and church members who loved and cared for her.

Minette was predeceased by her parents, husbands, sister Dora Kathryn Beazley and husband Liston, brother Glen Williams, sister-in-law Rubye Jeanne Drumwright Pulley and husband Ralph, nephew Ralph William Pulley, and niece Nancy Karkalits Beazley. She is survived by two daughters—Minette (Meme) Drumwright and husband H.W. Perry, Jr., Debra Kay Drumwright Underwood and husband Max—three grandchildren, Bradley Huber Underwood and wife Laura, Emily Kay Underwood Prizer and husband Blake, Lauren Minette Perry—and five great grandchildren—Jackson Bradley Prizer, Rachel Kay Prizer, Madeline Minette Prizer, Isobel Kay Underwood, Joshua Rowan

Underwood. She is also survived by her nieces—Lista Kay Beazley Hightower and husband Rick, Claudia Jeanne Pulley—and her nephews, Kenneth Liston Beazley and wife Paula, Thomas Huber Pulley and wife Stephanie. She is survived by two stepchildren—Martha Pratt Wainwright and husband Larry, James Pratt and wife Dana—and six step grandchildren, Matthew Wainwright and wife Mackenzie, Laura Wainwright Feltner and husband Travis, William Wainwright and wife Macy, Claire Wainwright, Michelle Pratt Clements and husband Ryan, Scott Pratt and wife Deanna. Minette has many great nieces and nephews, step great grandchildren, and step great nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in the Sanctuary of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Baylor University—the Drumwright Family Lecture Fund (Honors College), the William and Minette Pratt Scholarship Fund (School of Social Work), the Louise Herrington School of Nursing—or Broadway Baptist Church.