Sara Bates Pratt passed away at her home in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, during the early morning of June 24, with her husband holding her hand and several family members nearby. Sara was born on April 15, 1927, in Birmingham, AL, to Monroe B. Bates and wife Sophie Catherine (nee Wanniger) and spent her early years in that city.

At age ten she moved with her parents to Mount Vernon, NY, where she graduated from A.B. Davis High School and was a National Merit Scholar. Discouraged by her parents from attending college, she began working in a local bank which she later considered one of the best decisions she ever made as while working there she met her future husband and soulmate, Howard, to whom she was married for nearly 73 years.

Howard and Sara lived in Springfield, MA, Mount Vernon, NY, Winsted, Collinsville, and Wilton, CT, before moving to Ponte Vedra Beach in 1996. In both Winsted and Collinsville, Sara was active in theatre and a founding member of Canton Benefit Productions, a community theatre group that raised funds for the local schools, where she directed many of the company’s annual musicals.

In Wilton, she began a highly successful career as a real estate broker. Rather than taking a class or course to help pass the rigorous broker’s licensing test, Sara chose to study on her own for the exam while being a fulltime wife and mother. Known for a commitment to honesty and service she won several awards for her work with King Real Estate and was highly esteemed in the real estate community.

Sara is survived by her husband, Howard; sons, Bruce (wife, Janet) of Swanville, ME, Kenneth (wife, Linda) of Johns Creek, GA, and Bradford (wife, Dawn) of Fairfield, CT; grandsons, Benjamin (wife, Logan Perkins) of Swanville, ME, Matthew (wife, Laura) of Charlotte, NC, Zachary (wife, Heather) of Slingerlands, NY, and Andrew (wife, Karianna) of Oradell, NJ; granddaughters, Katherine (husband, Jay), Jessica, and Elizabeth all of New York, NY; great grandchildren, Camille and Isla Pratt, of Slingerlands, NY, Davis and Blakely Pratt, of Charlotte, NC, and Hannah, Avery, and Tessa Pratt of Oradell, NJ.

A celebration of Sara’s life will take place at a later date and in lieu of flowers the family would ask friends to consider donations to The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.