Tek Helen Pratt

Tek Helen Peavy Pratt

Tek Helen Peavy Pratt of Buford, Georgia passed away peacefully on September 5, 2025 at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

Early Life:

Tek was born on January 31,1947 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to Marion Peavy and Frances Claire Hudson Peavy. Around the age of 5, Tek's family relocated from Chattanooga to Lexington, Kentucky where Tek grew up in her childhood home. Around the age of 9, Tek relocated again to Atlanta, Georgia with her mother and sister where they stayed with Frances' father John Henry Hudson "Papa John" and mother Claire Hudson "Mama Claire" on Ferncliff Road in the Buckhead community. Tek's mother Frances later purchased a home in Chamblee, Georgia around 1960 which remained the family home of Frances, Tek, and Tina for many years.

Growing up in Chattanooga and Lexington, Tek enjoyed climbing trees with her sister, playing with the neighborhood children, and attending Sunday School as a "Sunbeam" at the local church. After relocating to Atlanta, she enjoyed spending time with her friends on Weiuca Road and walking along Nancy Creek with her mother. In high school she enjoyed and excelled in the high school chorus.

Life Highlights:

From early on in life, Tek will be remembered for her work ethic. She was the quiet younger daughter with a sense of grit and determination. She was strong, she held her own, and she never gave up. Having come from a background of limited means, she worked hard for everything she achieved in life. She never complained, and she never operated with a sense of entitlement. At the age of 15, she began working as soon as she could at Crystal's clothing store at Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta, Georgia to earn extra income rather than participating in extracurricular activities at the end of high school.

As a young adult, she financed her own education through Bauder College modeling school where she learned about the fashion industry and modeling, which presented opportunities to travel as a spokesperson at trade shows and conferences. She sought this education and training not only to pursue her interest in fashion but also to build a sense of grace, poise, self-confidence, and professional development that she wanted to cultivate within herself on her own. It was this experience that enabled her to grow into herself and express herself more confidently. From that point on, she always had a way of convincing people of her point of view without them knowing they were being convinced. When she spoke, she was precise, diplomatic, persuasive, and people listened.

Education/Career:

Tek graduated from North Fulton High School in Atlanta, Georgia as part of the class of 1965. After high school, she quickly joined the workforce, beginning her 57-year career in professional screening with Retail Credit (Equifax) at Equifax's original corporate headquarters at 1600 Peachtree Road in Atlanta. Tek essentially remained with the same company throughout her career through various spinoffs, mergers, and acquisitions, including ChoicePoint, LexisNexis, and First Advantage, working in many different departments and moving from individual contributor roles to management roles in customer care and client advocacy.

Legacy:

Tek's legacy will always be known by the content of her character and the people that she touched. Tek was a kind, caring, and compassionate person who put the needs of others before herself. She was the type of person to whom the grocery store cashier would tell their life story because she walked through life with a warm, gentle, and caring spirit. She was the kind of person to whom others would naturally open up. She was a good listener, always responding to others thoughtfully by being fully engaged, mentally present, and unconditionally loving. She wanted everyone she encountered to feel seen, heard, and understood.

These values were fueled by her strong, authentic faith, which was multi-denominational, having spent time in the Baptist, Catholic, and Methodist traditions. Her values played out in her day-to-day interactions with strangers, friends, clients, colleagues, and family alike. She was the same warm, caring person to everyone. At work, these values led her to participate on the ChoicePoint Diversity Council for many years. As a member of the United Methodist Church, she participated in mission work in the Rio Grande Valley in the early 2000s for the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. In this way, she truly embodied the spirit of the Great Commandment in Mark 12:30-31 to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Despite Tek's hard work in forging her long career without much guidance or mentorship, her biggest desire was to have a family. Tek was an amazing and dedicated mother. She loved her sons "to the moon and back," and they loved her equally as much in return. Having grown up in a single-parent household, she wanted to provide her children with a stable environment and a loving home. Throughout the years, she made many personal and professional sacrifices to make her sons the priority and support their goals, and her sons will be eternally grateful for her unwavering love and support.

Tek had a warm and wonderful sense of humor, always reminding herself and others never to take themselves too seriously. From a young age, she was playing practical jokes on friends in the high school chorus. Throughout her life, she had a light and gentle laugh. She could disarm the crankiest of clients and the crabbiest of strangers with a well-timed subtle look, a quick stealthy glance, or a lighthearted silly face. You could not help but to love Tek after interacting with her just once. It was her strong faith, her warmth, and her sense of humor that enabled her to experience joy in any moment and spread joy to others. She was a delight to all who knew her.

Family:

Tek Pratt is survived by her sister Tina Dana Peavy and her two sons Edmond "Logan" Pratt III and Matthew "Lowell" Pratt. She is also survived by her two granddaughters, Eliza Rose Pratt and Josette Faith Pratt ("Josie"). She was predeceased by her loving spouse Edmond ("Ed") Logan Pratt II (1947 - 2025) and her grandson Liam Edmond Pratt (2018 - 2020).

Services:

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 11am ET at Crowell Brothers Funeral Home - Peachtree Corners Chapel. Visitation will take place immediately beforehand at 10am, and a reception will take place immediately following at 12:30pm. Interment will take place at a later date.

In Lieu of Flowers:

The family requests that donations be made to the American Lung Association or a charity of your choice in Tek's memory.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.crowellbrothers.com. Arrangements by Crowell Brothers Peachtree Chapel Funeral Home, 5051 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Norcross/Peachtree Corners, GA 30092. (770)448-5757.