Kathleen Vaughan Prude

She was born in Talladega, Alabama, on September 15, 1921, the oldest child of William Charles Vaughan and Otis Brown Vaughan.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband of 68 years, Marvin Louis Prude, two brothers, William Charles Vaughan, Jr. and Donald Brown Vaughan. She is survived by her daughter, Karen Prude Johnson, of Birmingham; three grandchildren, Benjamin Hardy Johnson IV (Elizabeth) of Manhattan, Kansas, Kathleen Johnson Leaf (Eric) of Charlotte, North Carolina, Emily Ruth Johnson Terry (Jason) of Birmingham; three great grandchildren, Julia Karen Johnson, Oliver Carl Leaf, Emma Kathleen Terry; a sister-in-law, Helen Prude Blackmon, of Clanton, Alabama; a nephew, several nieces, and cousins.

She moved to Birmingham with her family at the age of three and was a resident of the city her entire life except for a few years during World War II when she joined her husband who was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland and the Office of the Chief of Ordnance in Detroit, Michigan.

She received her education at Fairfield High School, Alabama College for Women (now the University of Montevallo), and Samford University.

She was active in the Baptist denomination throughout her life, teaching Sunday School classes for more than 60 years. She wrote curriculum materials for youth and youth leadership and led in training conferences and seminars as a representative of the Alabama Baptist State Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention including its conference centers at Ridgecrest, North Carolina, and Glorieta, New Mexico. For 21 years, she was employed as office manager and administrative assistant at The Alabama Baptist, the news journal for the Alabama Baptist State Convention.

An active member of the Mountain Brook Baptist Church for 45 years, she was a long-time leader and teacher of youth in the Sunday School and later the teacher of the Grace Nelson Agape class for adults for 20 years. She also served on the church council and as assistant church clerk.

She was an active member of the Samford University Auxiliary and in 2008 was the recipient of the Lolla Wurtele Wright Award presented annually to a member for her spirit of service and her support for the university. For fifteen years she served as a “Pink Lady” at Baptist Medical Center Princeton and was chairman of the Jefferson County Heart Drive. She had also been a member of the Alert Study Club and the Twilight Garden Club.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, May 7th at 2 PM at Mountain Brook Baptist Church with visitation following in Hudson Hall. The family requests that memorials be made to Mountain Brook Baptist Church, the Samford University Auxiliary or the charity of your choice.

Arrangements under the direction of Ridout's Valley Chapel, Homewood, AL.