Susan Prather

What an inspiration, what a loss.
Amazing grace, the bagpipes, and Susan Prather..what a memory. Wishing everyone involved in her gift to society all the additional goodness in life deserved. Fresh Start should be the model used ..nationwide in every community
What a lady, what an inspiration.

I remember working with Susan on homless issues in the Concord area,back in the 1990's.
My husband and I volunteered at the Cambridge Community Center.
What a powerhouse of information she was! And how her passion for justice for those who are our most vulnerable citizens,was contagious.
God bless and thank you, Susan,for making a difference-not just talking about it.
Peace to her family,
Elissa A. Bell

Susan you were a shinning star among us. Your work made us all proud and your humor made us laugh until we cried. All your goodness came back to you when you married Bill. I am very lucky to have you as my friend my entire life.

AUNT SUZY YOU WILL BE GREATLEY MISSED YOU HAVE BEEN A GREAT AUNT TO MYSELF TRACY, JOHN. YOU HAVE ALWAYS ENCOURGED ALL OF US TO FOLLOW OUR DREAMS AND BE HAPPY. I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES WE HAD AS KIDS AND ADULTS.LIKE WHEN WE WOULD GO OUT TO A REATURANT AND YOU WOULD TELL THEM IT WAS OUR BIRTHDAYS SO THEY WOULD SING AND WE WOULD GET ICECREAM. THANK YOU FOR TEACHING ME HOW TO BE A GOOD AUNT TO MY NIECES,AND MY COUSINS. THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE. I LOVE YOU AND WILL MISS YOU. LOVE YOUR NIECE MICHELE PRATHER-KING

Susan was our hero, inspiring us with her big heart and selfless service. She also was a good friend for the last 20 years. We will miss her and her passing is a great loss to the world. There was only one Susan. She exemplifies how we all should live.... special prayers and love to Bill (and how we all are grateful you came into her life, making her last years everything she dreamed of and deserved). Joanne and Thea/Russian River

Susan followed her heart with extraordinary courage and compassion, touching countless others along the way. I will always be grateful for having known her and for listening to her amazing stories with Bill, Maggie, Chloe, Cathy, Patty, Natalie and Rich. During a gift exchange, I gave her a soft white dream catcher. Holding it up, she closed her eyes and made a wish. Her warm, open smile is captured in my favorite photos taken. Deep condolences to the Prather and Lunghi families. Susan, you are dearly missed and loved, and your spirit lives on.

Susan, we will miss you very much. You were an amazing person and an inspiration to everyone you came in contact with. I wished we could have spent more quality time with you. The Oliver Family. P.S. Roses are red, violets are blue, we miss Tommy and we miss you too.

Susan always liked calling me "The Orange Juice Lady",since I brought some for Fresh Start every week. One day, I brought her a crabcake from Maryland. I couldn't get over how happy she was to get it! A simple crabcake, but to Susan, it was like you gave her a diamond! She was one of the most unselfish people I ever met. Peace to you, my dear friend..

I knew Susan my whole life - her brother and my Dad were best friends when I was a growing up. I was so shocked today when my Mom told me she was gone...She was always so alive, such a powerful spirit! A great soul who made a difference to many, and she will be sorely missed.

Susan was one of the most amazing women I have ever had the honor of meeting. I will miss her warm heart, loving advice and fantastic sense of humor. She made such a difference in the lives of so many people. My heart goes out to you Bill. I will keep her memory close to my heart.

What a tremendous loss. You will be missed so much. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this very difficult time.

Susan was a teacher to me. She knew first hand the struggles of people in our community who live a life that most of us would rather not see. In spite of her wisecracking, she was deadly serious about achieving a measure of justice for them….. her homeless friends that she held so close in her capacious heart. She was a dynamic, eccentric woman who seemed to walk a sacred journey on a path she shared with so many who had so little. She served well and left us way too soon.

I remember Susan as the waitress at the Coffee Cup in Pinole. The breakfast was great, the portions were huge, but Susan was still the best thing about it. I'm so sorry Bill.

I will always remember hearing Susan on God Talk each Sunday. She loved what she did and loved those with whom she came in contact. A great loss to so many. God Bless!

Thank you Susan for leaving your footprint on the world. Your dedication to the clients you served was a true example of love thy neighbor.

What a shock and loss. As a supporter of Fresh Start I can only imagine how all "those she served" are feeling. An incredible woman, as all of those who knew her would attest.

We are so sad to have read on the website that Susan had passed away. Loved Susans personality, she
was full of energy and would help anone just like her mother Gladys, she was a darling girl and im
so glad she was my friend.
Ruthell Faria & family formerly of Pinole

Susan was an amazing force, and she did a tremendous amount of good. She will be sorely missed. I hope she and Stan and Chloe are celebrating their reunion.

We must not let Fresh Start down. Please help keep Susan's vision alive.

My heart aches around the huge hole your leaving made there! Our years of friendship and work at Fresh Start were far, far too few. We WILL continue your work. We must. You were our mentor and our hero, and you will continue to be our inspiration. Ti amo, Susan. Ti amo, Guglielmo.

Dear Bill and family,

Rod and I loved having all of you on our boat. I know how much Susan enjoyed sailing and we were pleased to have her as a regular aboard the Nehemiah.

I remember when she told me that she was seeing you and how excited she was. It turned out to be a great marriage.

We will miss her very much.

Thank you for sharing her.

Love,

Joni and Rod

For more than 20 years Susan was the conscience of Contra Costa County. Not only did she do her best to keep the politicians honest, she also made all of us advocates work twice as hard. She is truly a legend and she will be missed not only by those of us who knew her well but also by those who never met her on whose behalf she worked so hard.

I'm so grateful having met and worked with you these past five years at St. Paul's. I will always remember your passion for the work you did helping the homeless. You are a true hero. My prayers are with Bill, your family, and Fresh Start.

PS - I hope there is plenty of ziti in heaven!!!

I'm grateful to Susan for the selfless help over many years of bringing homeless people to Contra Costa Legal Services. A truer advocate never lived. I fondly remember one of her favoite quotations:

"You may not be able to change the world, but at least you can embarrass the guilty." -- Jessica Mitford

Susan Prather
Executive Director Fresh Start Walnut Creek
http://freshstartwc.org

My deepest condolences to the Prather-Lunghi family.

Tikkun Olam, Ellen

My heartfelt thanks to you for all you have done to help the down and out, and lost. I am grateful for everything you did to try to help my grandson, Greg. I will miss you!
Barbara

What a staggering loss. Oh, Susan, you've meant so much to so many of us. It hurts to say good-bye. My heart is with you, Bill.

Susan,

I am missing you as a friend and a true advocate for decriminalizing poverty. I walked with you, Chloe and my dog, Bear, at Point Elizabeth in Point Richmond many times. KGO has taken big losses this year with Bernie leaving, Stan, and now you, Susan.

In your name, Susan, we will continue to raise monies for Fresh Start this November on KGO radio. Your kind, gentle and tenacious spirit presses us to advocate in real terms for the poor, the oppresses and the disenfranchised, everywhere. I am praying for your family, Bill...

What a beautiful difference one single life made…Knowing Susan for the past 10+ years has been a real honor. The compassion she showed to everyone was truly remarkable. Susan you are missed! Love to you my friend, Kate

Working the Thanksgiving Charities Drive for three years was the highlight of my year. That feeling was capped only by the knowledge that Susan and her great big heart and her fantastic organization would benefit from it. She was the epitome of a force for good in the world, and I'll miss her.

What an honorable and inspirational well-lived life. Your family and friends will miss your presence, but that "Wild Woman Of Contra Costa" spirit will grace all.

Susan,

You asked that Patty and I not say goodbye, so- al proximo tiempo.

Ed and Patty

My condolences to the Prather family. I have listened to many accounts of her work with Fresh Start and contributed through KGO charities. She will be missed greatly and I appreciate special staff at KGO for bringing her work to our attention. I always thought she was a nun because of her all consuming work ethic....silly me.

Heartfelt condolences to Bill, and Susan's family.

Susan Prather is irreplaceable. She was one of a kind. Her photog belongs next to the word "serve" in the dictionary.

The best way to honor Susan's memory is to continue the work in her name, and ensure that those neediest among us are not neglected, but enriched by the same sunshine, shelter, and meals she generously provided.

She was the most selfless person I've ever come across..I'll be doing a radio tribute to her on KGO this sunday morning at 1 am...and I'm sure other hosts will as well. Bless you Susan and you can walk with Chloe in the Elysian Fields now..both happy. Christine Craft

It's to bad I heard about your wonderful work in your death. Our world needs more people like you. May you live forever in the hearts of your family and everyone you've touched. God Bless and may you rest in peace.

With Love Petina Cochran from the bay currently in Oklahoma

I had the joy and growth of working with Susan at Fresh Start at St. Paul's. She challenged everyone to walk the walk. We will keep walking, Susan. Vaya con Dios. See you in the morning

I loved listening to Bernie talk to
Susan every Sunday morning. She
was truly an inspiration!