Obituary of Montise Pridgen

CAYCE—Funeral services for Montise Popwell Pridgen, 86, of Cayce will be held at 11 a.m., March 27, 2012 at the Chapel of Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington. Officiating will be Rev. Ronald Bennett. Burial will follow in Celestial Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Monday, March 26, 2012 at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 39105. Mrs. Pridgen, beloved wife of the late Henry Lawson Pridgen, Sr., quietly slipped away on Saturday, March 24, 2012 after valiantly fighting the good fight. Born in Swansea, she was the daughter of the late Mary Popwell Branham. She was a lifetime area resident and a member of West Side Baptist Church. She was an avid gardener and had an endless capacity to love others. Her family came first in her life along with her powerful Christian faith. She was loved by all who knew her and will be dearly missed. Surviving are her daughters, Mary Wilkerson (Ralph) of Rolla, Missouri, Velvet Pridgen and Tammy Hyatt (Buzz) all of Lexington; sons, Henry L. Pridgen, Jr. (Nadine) and Mark W. Pridgen, Sr. (Debra) all of Gaston; twelve grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; sisters, Opal Smith and Dixie Lee Smith both of Lexington.