 West Hill Cemetery Sherman, Texas   Melba Prince Kratch 4 May 1925 - 10 July 2014 Frank J. Kratch 9 April 1921 - 1 June 1987 Lieutenant Colonel US Army WWII, Korea Corps of Engineers  Melba Prince Kratch was born in Sherman to John Melvin and Maggie Parton Prince on May 4, 1925 and left this life on July 10, 2014. In 1945 she married then U.S. Army Captain Frank Kratch, who later was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Frank was from Brooklyn, New York, but the two met in Oak Ridge, Tennessee where he was assigned to the Manhattan Project after being wounded in Italy durint World War II, and where Melba had headed at age 17 to work in support of the war effort. They were the parents of three sons. Melba is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Frank and Judy Kratch of Ft. Worth; Ken Kratch of Sadler; and TIm and Debbie Kratch of Austin; grandchildren, Kellye (Mark) Neuweiler of Ft. Worth; Patrick Kratch of Ft. Worth; Chrissy Kratch of Abilene; Joe Kratch of Austin; and Kaci Kratch of Saginaw. She had the joy of being great-grandmother to Zachary and Keris Neuweiler and Cayden Kratch, all of Ft. Worth. Melba is also survived by sisters, June Lucas of Sherman, formerly of Wichita Falls; and Jane (Ralph) Mattingly of Sherman; several nieces and nephews; and a large extended family of cherished longtime friends. Her brother, Eugene Prince, her husband and her parents preceded her in death. Melba was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Sherman. For many years, she was an active member of the church's Ministry of Encouragement Committee and she loved participating in its many activities. She also was faithful to her commitment to the Prayer Room Ministry. Melba attended Bells schools and then North Texas University for a short period. Her husband spent 22 years as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This post brought with it many moves and new schools for the children, throughout the United States and overseas. She was always active in their activities, whether that meant serving in the PTA, as room mother, or as Cub Scout den mother. As sports entered the boys' lives, she and her husband proudly attended their games whenever possible. After her husband's retirement from the U.S. Army, the family settled in Sherman where Melba worked for Sherman schools. She was secretary to the counselors at Sherman High during the 1977-1978 school year and then - after devoting 2 years to the golf course - returned to work at Washington school as librarian and then Piner Middle School as the school secretary. An outspoken and vocal advocate of the causes in which she believed, Melba never hesitated to make her voice heard by writing letters to the editor of The Sherman Herald-Democrat (which, along with the Bible, she read religiously), making persuasive or corrective phone calls, campaigning for local politicians or ballot issues, or simply engaging in passionate dialogues with friends and family members. She was giving and compassionate, yet had a definite independent streak which remained strong until the end. In fact, Melba penned much of her obituary herself. A Celebration of Life Service was held at First Baptist Church Monday, July 14. Pastor David Ellis officiated. A private burial service was held at West Hill Cemetery. West Hill Cemetery Elaine Nall Bay ©2013 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |