Our small town of Covington has experienced a devastating loss. Ruth Prats and Father Otis Young were two immensely loved people in our community.

Prats’ two daughters are SSA alums: Laurie Prats Moorman (‘90) and Jessica Prats Brown (‘93). According to Peggy Breland, who was a good friend of Prats years ago, “Her daughters were her life, and she did everything they did.” Prats always acted in a Godly manner, did what was right, and would do her best to find the good in everything and everyone. Prats was always willing to help those less fortunate and was “ready to give you anything she has that she thought you might need.”

Father Otis Young was a priest for 21 years and pastor at St. Peter’s for ten years. Through this time he touched the lives of many students, teachers, and parents in our school community. After talking to former St. Peter’s students Jules Salsman and Emily Devlin, I got more of an understanding of how he truly impacted the lives of those around us. According to Salsman, he was very kind, always smiling, and just a very positive person. He celebrated their First Communion, Reconciliation, and seventh-grade graduation with them. Father Otis could be seen attending the St. Peter’s fair every year, and Devlin even mentioned how she remembers a student throwing a pie in his face one year.

Although Father Otis and Ruth Prats aren’t with us physically they will live forever through their kind actions and the love they showed our town.