Ferriel Joyce McKinney Prasch, 67, of Modesto, Calif., a former Baker City resident, died Oct. 13, 2002, at Modesto.
Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Dennis Hickman of First Lutheran Church will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Ferriel was born on Sept. 17, 1935, at Baker City. Her parents were the late Louis and Florence McKinney.
She received her bachelor’s of education degree at Portland University in 1958 and taught in Portland-area elementary schools before moving to Moraga, Calif., in 1965.
Ferriel worked for Spring Hill School at Lafayette until 1971 when she moved to Modesto, Calif. She and her husband, Don Prasch, managed the Baskin-Robbins store there for seven years before she decided to be a stay-at-home mom for the next few years.
After her children were grown, the love of teaching and educating children brought her back to work as a second-grade teacher for Modesto City Schools in 1986. She worked at Brett Harte School the majority of those years, until her retirement in June of 2001.
During her spare time, Ferriel enjoyed making wire-wrap jewelry, collecting rocks and gems, traveling, gardening and spending time with her children, grandchildren and friends. She especially loved being a grandmother.
After a brief battle with cancer, Ferriel died at her Modesto home of 30 years, surrounded by her family.
Survivors include her three children, Keoki Schattauer of Kona, Hawaii, and his girlfriend, Toni; Marie Brady of Oakland, Calif., and her husband, David, and Richard Prasch of Boise and his wife, Marcia; her aunt, Pauline Perfetti of Columbus, Ohio; cousins, Lucille Marcelli of Ontario, Louise Mack of Palm Desert, Calif., and Mary Stahl of Anaheim, Calif.; and five beloved grandchildren, Daniel, Corey, Evan, Nolan and Gavin.
Memorial contributions may be made to the National Breast Cancer Coalition through Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, October 25, 2002
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor