January 9, 1914 – May 30, 2010
Barbara Prather Barbara Smith Prather, 96, passed away peacefully at home in San Geronimo, lovingly surrounded by her family on Sunday May 30, 2010.
Barbara was born in Futehpur, India on January 9, 1914 of Presbyterian missionary parents, Rev. Ray Caldwell Smith and Huetta Jean Trumbull Smith. She had deep roots in Marin County. Her father, brother and nephew all graduated from San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS) in San Anselmo. Her grandfather, Robert John Trumbull established a nursery in San Rafael’s Sun Valley in 1879 and while secretary for the SFTS board, influenced the decision to build the Seminary in San Anselmo. Her uncle, Robert H. Trumbull Sr. was a county supervisor for Novato and served on the original Golden Gate Bridge Board of Directors, assisting in financing and managing the bridge construction.
Following her father’s death by cholera in 1922, Barbara returned to Berkeley, with her mother and two sisters. Her two brothers were already in the U.S. attending the San Rafael Military Academy. Barbara graduated from Bentley High School in Oakland in 1932, and then moved to San Rafael to attend Marin Junior College where she met her future husband Robert (Bob) Prather.
She graduated from San Francisco State College in 1938 with a B.A. Degree in English. Married in 1939 the family lived in Madera, Larkspur and Fairfax, and then built their own home in Sleepy Hollow. Now a mother of three children Barbara became interested in teaching preschool and parent education. She loved children, took training at UC Santa Barbara, taught at the San Anselmo Cooperative Nursery School and later became a director of the Sausalito Cooperative Nursery School, touching the lives of many young children and their families.
Her volunteer work in church and community included choir, Sunday school, P.T.A. president in both elementary and high school, summer Junior Theatre productions director, Scout Den Mother and Brownie leader. In 1957, Barbara and family moved to San Geronimo, joined the San Geronimo Presbyterian Church, became involved in the community; helped create a master plan for the San Geronimo Valley, worked to pass a bond measure to expand the local school and chaired the church’s annual Holly Fair for many years. In 1965 she and Bob, then principal of Tamalpais High School, moved to Marin City where they were members of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church and Barbara became a founding board member of the Marin City Community Development Corporation. Returning to San Geronimo in 1979, Barbara served on the West Marin Senior Services Board, assisting seniors in many ways. She in her quiet, accepting way made herself known to strangers, learning who they were and welcoming them in whatever way she could.
Barbara and Bob were also volunteers with a global community renewal organization, the Institute of Cultural Affairs. In 1975 they took a Pacific Rim trip visiting many of the village projects. Barbara later helped organize and lead Town Meeting workshops in California, Utah and Iowa.
Barbara is preceded in death by her husband Bob Prather (1980), brothers Trumbull Smith and Rev. R. Caldwell Smith II and sisters Anne Strickler and Jean Suenderman. She is survived by her children Hale Prather (Nancy) of Marin City, Nancy Johnson (Samuel) of Santa Maria and Margaret Krauss (Kit) of San Geronimo. She has eight grandchildren: Vicki Uthe, Joshua, Jessica, and Matthew Krauss; David and Thomas Prather; Kurt Johnson and Tracy Smith; ten great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.