Michael William Pratt '62
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 here 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 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.