Obituary of Robert Peal Pratt

Robert Peal Pratt passed away in Monroe, Louisiana on May 5, 2020 after a long, unrelenting illness. He was 87 years old. Robert was born in Shuqualak, Mississippi on January 23, 1933. Robert, and his older sister and brother had very humble beginnings in Mississippi and Louisiana during the Great Depression. With the support of their parents, they survived the challenges of the time. When they weren't chasing each other with baseball bats and axes, Robert and his brother used to hunt and fish near Collinston, LA in Wham Brake and Bayou Galion, always enjoying the outdoors. Robert joined the Air Force and helped to support a military navigation beacon in a Moroccan desert during the Cold War. Robert later went to DeVry Institute in Chicago to become an electrical technician. From there, he worked at General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport when it first opened, and Bell Helicopter in Tehran, Iran. His work also took him to Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands for several years. He eventually retired to what amounted to the second home that he loved so much, the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Robert was not a man of extreme emotions, but he was always reliable, steady, loyal, and loving. When his brother was sick, Robert was always available for unqualified support. When his cousin was sick with cancer, Robert was the one who drove him back and forth to Texas for treatments and was by his side when he died. The gift of Robert’s love came from knowing that he was always there when we needed him. It is in these hard times that we have now that we will most miss the steady, humble, unfailing love and support that came from Robert. Maybe his greatest gift was to provide that example to which others could aspire. We have lost a sweet, wonderful man. Robert was preceded in death by his father, Thurston B. Pratt, Jr., his mother, Mary Bernice Peal Pratt, his brother, Thurston B. Pratt, III, and his nephew, Mark Sikes Foreman. He is survived by his sister, Ruby Virginia Pratt Foreman of Bastrop, LA, his niece, Cynthia Lynn Foreman Hijazi of Corona, CA, his nephew, Mike Talmadge Foreman of Bastrop, LA, his nephew, Hugh Miles Pratt of Gig Harbor, WA, and his niece, Mary Margaret Pratt of Arlington, VA. No memorial services are planned. The family encourages friends and family to share any stories of Robert you might have.