Roll Call Tribute

Michael William Pratt 

December 16, 1943 - September 1, 2023 

It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of Michael William Pratt, age 79, on September 1, 2023, at Sunlit Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care in Alta Loma, California. You may light a candle, share photos or a memory to celebrate Michael’s life.

He was born December 16, 1943, in San Francisco, CA to Mickey and Bill Pratt. Mickey (Muriel) Pratt was from Payette, Idaho and Bill (George William Pratt) was from Winterset, Iowa. Bill was stationed in San Francisco due to WWII when Michael was born. Later they had two more children, Robert and Cyndi.

Michael is survived by his sister Cyndi Pratt-Reynolds, former wife Lee Lory Pratt, son Erin David Pratt, step-grandson Caleb, granddaughter Jordan and great-grandson Max. Family members already deceased include both Michael’s parents and his younger brother Robert Pratt.

Michael very much enjoyed his childhood, growing up in an Air Force family and moving frequently. In high school he attended schools in France and Germany where he developed his love for travel. He graduated from Texas A & M University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering.

On the day after he graduated, May 28, 1966, he married Lee Lory Pratt in Houston, Texas and they began 46 years of marriage. In 1970, while he was still in the Air Force and stationed in Taiwan, his son Erin was born. In the next two years he and his wife traveled to all major areas of Taiwan, then Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore, Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan.

In 1972 Michael reluctantly left the Air Force, which he loved very much, and returned to school at UC Davis to earn a second degree in Biochemistry. In 1974 he began working as a Project Engineer and later became Engineering Manager at the Best Foods plant in San Francisco while living in Albany, CA. In 1978 Michael and Lee purchased their first home in Concord, CA. After the SF plant closed in 1987, he was based at another plant in Bayonne, NJ. where he worked for six years, often returning home to Concord for a three-day weekend.

After his career in food production and engineering ended, he began with great enthusiasm his very own Museum of Models and Miniatures that he opened in Concord, CA. This museum was filled with extraordinary layouts of model airplanes and trains as well as other huge dioramas that he built by hand.

In 1999 Michael and his wife Lee moved to the peace and quiet of country life on almost four acres in Upper Lake, CA. In 2012 they were divorced, and Michael moved to Las Vegas where he began writing novels about flying airplanes. In 2020 he moved near his son Erin in Ontario, CA.

We wish Michael the joy of eternally flying away to happy places in the great beyond. His Memorial Celebration will be held privately in Upper Lake, CA. You may send donations in his name to the Alzheimer's Association at ALZ.org.