LONGMONT, CO
Inez Elaine (Schmidt) Prather, born December 27, 1945 in Mexico, Missouri, to John Herman and Vivienne Marcelle (Lane) Schmidt, died at age 72 on June 9, 2018, at her home in Longmont, Colorado.
Inez graduated from Hancock Central High School in 1964, University of Colorado in 1971, and Iliff School of Theology in 1982. She was a Pastor in the United Methodist Church serving congregations at Piedmont and Climax, Kansas, and Fleming, Rockland and Lyons, Colorado.
Inez is survived by her husband of 50 years, Donald William (Bill) Prather and daughter, Kea Ines Prather; and granddaughter, Marcelina Ines Prather-Ortiz.
She was preceded in death by her parents and son, John William Prather; and brothers, Jay Wilson Schmidt and Rex Lane Schmidt.
She was also a volunteer naturalist, master gardener, master composter and officer in Denver Field Ornithologists and Foothills Audubon Club. In 1999, she was given a certificate of merit by the Longmont Police Department for chasing and cornering an armed robber with her van until the police arrived and made the arrest.
She was intensely interested in exploring and photographing the natural world, which led to documenting the Ross Gull, many dragonflies and damselflies and two tiger beetles in Colorado for the first time. She enjoyed camping and hiking, including long backpacking trips to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone’s Shoshone Geyer Basin. She used her photographs and artistic abilities to create many scrapbook albums. She authored articles for the CFO Journal and coauthored a publication on Colorado Odonata, published by Colorado State University.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations in Inez’s name to the John W. Prather Memorial Scholarship, Northern Arizona University Foundation, Box 4094, Flagstaff, AZ 86011.
Condolences may be sent to the family at 13810 W. County Line Road 1, Longmont, Colorado, 80504.
