March 10, 1907 – Jan. 16, 2010

In her 102 years, Anna was the beloved wife of a Presbyterian minister, mother of four daughters, Bible teacher, home missionary, avid gardener, Girl Scout leader, PTA

President, master story teller, line dancer in her 80s, exercise leader at age 92, devoted grandmother and great-grandmother, champion for children and worker for justice in housing, civil rights in the 1960s, the homeless and those who needed a friend – a true Southern ”steel magnolia.”

Born in Reidsville N.C., one of ten children. She graduated in 1928, from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, VA. She served as a home missionary in the Appalachian Mountains and was well known as a teacher, pastor, seamstress, cook and medical resource. She married Carl Ruffin Pritchett in 1935, and served Presbyterian churches in Smithfield, N.C., Davidson, N.C., Anderson, S.C. and Bethesda, MD. In each of these, she was a leader in both the church and community. In 1975, they retired to Charlotte, N.C. where she was known as ”The Cookie Lady”, bringing her chocolate chip cookies to workers at a soup kitchen and clothing center where she volunteered. Moving to The Pines at Davidson in 1987, she grew tomatoes and cared for her husband who died of Alzheimer’s in 1992. At age 98, she moved to Bend, OR to be close to two of her daughters. At the time of her death, she was a resident of Nine Peaks Adult Care Home in Bend, OR.

Her husband, The Rev. Dr. Carl R. Pritchett; and daughter, Peggy Pritchett Choate of Mayo, MD, preceded Anna in death. She is survived by her brother, The Rev. Dr. H. Reid Montgomery of Davidson, N.C.; sister, Jane Balsley of Cape Carteret, N.C.; daughters, Mary Anna Swinnerton and Elizabeth Stephan of Bend, OR, Dorothy Pritchett of Atlanta, GA; 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, January 23, at 2 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church, in Bend, where she was a member. In her honor and memory, donations may be made to First Presbyterian Church in Bend, OR, Memorial funds, or the Scholarship Fund at the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Union-PSCE, 3401 Brook Rd, Richmond, VA, 23217.

Anna Montgomery Pritchett