BIOGRAPHY

Prater was born in Long Ditton, Surrey, England on 26 October 1893. She moved to Rugby, Warwickshire with her family at the age of four. After leaving school at 14, she was employed by her erstwhile headmaster as a ward for his children.

Prater was married and widowed thrice. She had two children, Phyllis and Albert, the latter of whom predeceased her. She moved to Leicester to become a nursing home cook, but returned to Rugby to care for her mother. She later found work at a nearby lamp factory, then lived in London for a while, but following the death of her third husband in 1976, she moved in with her daughter and son-in-law back in Rugby.

Prater suffered a stroke aged 109, but was still able to retain her faculties, enjoying her 111th birthday celebration with friends and family. At the time, she had two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Her daughter claimed that the secret to her longevity was laughter.

Prater died in Rugby on 21 January 2005 at the age of 111 years, 87 days.

RECOGNITION

Prater’s 110th birthday was marked by Rugby’s town crier, Andy Latham.

At the time of her death, Prater was reported to have been the oldest person in the U. K., even though Scotland’s Lucy d’Abreu and Lancashire’s Mary Ann Hebden were both older.

Prater’s age was verified by Jean-Marie Robine and Peter Goldblatt (GRG), as well as Dr. Andrew Holmes (ESO), and was validated by each organisation on 16 December 2006 and 20 December 2020 respectively.

ATTRIBUTION

• Doris gets ready for 110th birthday Coventry Telegraph, 25 October 2003

• Fun for Doris on her 111th birthday Coventry Telegraph, 4 November 2004

• Doris dies aged 111 Coventry Telegraph, 24 January 2005

GALLERY