Billie Prather
December 22, 1931 - May 5, 2026
Billie Prather was born in Brewers, Kentucky and lived in rural existence during The Great Depression. He was the first born to T.J.A. Prather and Mildred Prather. In his late teens he moved to Detroit to work at multiple car factories until being drafted in 1953 into the U.S. Army. He served overseas tours in England, France, and Germany. While stationed in Babenhausen, he met and married Gerda Stein, having 3 sons before a full-time return to American soil. Over his 23 years, SFC Prather performed duty MOS as medic, cadre trainer, and in Field Artillery. He had a passion for missile maintenance working on Pershing, Lance, and other missile systems. That experience led to teaching assignments at the Field Artillery Center & School. He received numerous awards during his career and retired in 1976. After leaving the Army, he remained a Soldier for Life. His post-Army employment included nearly 15 years with the Lawton Public School (Jefferson and Wilson Elementary Schools) before permanently retiring in 1994.
Billie thrived in the second phase of his life by regularly visiting the Fort Sill and the Blessed Sacrament Thrift Stores. He enjoyed going to flea markets to buy and sell knives and other collectibles. This led to him buying old vacuum cleaners to repair and donate to those in need. Additionally, Billie enjoyed meeting friends for morning breakfast and afternoon fishing trips. On occasion, his trips to the local casinos paid off. As his health declined, he moved into the Lawton Fort Sill Veterans Center. The staff enjoyed his mostly laidback attitude and sense of humor.
Billie was preceded in death by Gerda, his sons Robert Scott Prather and John Russell Prather. He is survived by his youngest son, Ron (Svitlana) residing in Southeast Texas; daughter Erin Washington, Lawton, and 3 grandkids: Janiah Biggins, JhaMarkus Biggins, and Travis Washington, Jr. He is also survived by his brother, Michael, nephew, Bobby, and several Prathers residing in counties within Western Kentucky. The family also wants to acknowledge a dear friend and neighbor, Collette Hawkins, who routinely visited Billie until he went to heaven.
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