Mary Laverne Pratt

Mary Laverne had an incredible sense of humor, a deep Arkansas accent, and was full of interesting stories. She loved to dance and sing. She talked often of the Great Depression and ‘learning to live without.’ Her father, Hamp, died in 1940 from tuberculosis when Mary was 16 and her brother, Hamp Jr, was 6 years old. She remained with her mother and brother, moving to New Orleans to support the family and help her brother go through medical school. She worked for the SEC where she stayed until retirement. She lived with and took care of her mother, Birdie, for the remainder of her years. Mary was a cancer survivor and eventually passed away in CT from pulmonary embolism in the loving care of her brother and his family.