JOHN A. PRATT John Pratt graduated from Manning High School, class of 1950, and enlisted in the
U.S. Air Force on June 16 of that year. The Korean War began during his 2nd week of
Basic Training in Texas. After receiving some training in diesel engine maintenance and
repair during the fall of 1950, he was shipped to the Far East. There he served 23 months
as a diesel generator operator at Aircraft Control and Warning sites on Okinawa and
Kume Island. These sites, under the command of the 529th AC&W Wing, 20th Air
Force, provided radar and radio support to the bomb wings operating out of Okinawa
against enemy forces in Korea. For his overseas service he was awarded the Korean and
United Nations Service medals. After returning to the U.S. in December, 1952, he was stationed at Biggs Air Force
Base, El Paso, Texas. He was assigned to the 97th Bomb Wing as an Auxiliary Power
Unit repairman for the B-50 Aircraft located there at that time. Pratt received an Honorable
Discharge on August 29, 1953. He held the permanent rank of A/1C. In June of 1953, John was married to Joann Wilhelm, a 1951 graduate of MHS. They
have 4 daughters and 7 grandchildren. An interesting anecdote: While stationed at the radar site on Kume Island, a remote
"dot" in the China Sea, during mid 1951 to mid 1952, he was assigned to unloading
supplies (food, fuel, spare parts, "refreshments", etc.) from the boat which delivered them
monthly.
brother of Ray Pratt
As a couple of crates of fresh eggs were being unloaded, he noticed they were marked,
"Priebe & Sons, Manning, Iowa". How about that?.., fresh eggs from my home town!
(This was written up in the Monitor at the time).
John A. Pratt age 82 of Waconia, formerly Minnetonka, via Becker and Eden Prairie passed away Monday October 20, 2014, at the Auburn Home in Waconia.
Memorial Service Sunday November 23, 2014, at 1:30 PM Johnson Funeral Home (141 First St. East), Waconia with Rev. Steve Anderson officiating; a gathering of family and friends 1 hour prior to the service at the funeral home; reception will follow the service at Island View Golf Club (7795 Laketown Pkwy.), Waconia, Minnesota, 55387.
John Austin Pratt was born on April 9, 1932, in Correctionville, Iowa, the son of Orin and Mary (Dvorak) Pratt. John married Joann Wilhelm, his high school sweetheart at Zion Lutheran Church in Manning, Iowa, on June 7, 1953.
John moved from Correctionville, Iowa, to Manning, Iowa, in early childhood. He played saxophone, football, and track in High School and sang in the Iowa State Choir. John's first job out of college was at MacDonnell-Douglas in St. Louis, Missouri. After two years, John was hired by Honeywell in Hopkins, Minnesota, where he worked until his retirement in 1990. John is a proud veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served in the Korean War in Okinawa.
John loved spending time at the family cabin, which he built on Pickerell Lake. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, and was part of golfing, bowling and skeet shooting teams.
The great love of John's life, other than his wife and family was airplanes and flying. He built model airplanes all his young life and in retirement got his pilot's license and built his own plane. The past 15 years of his life, John and Joann spent their winters with family and friends in Harlingen, Texas, which John cherished.
John is preceded in death by his parents Orin and Mary Pratt; brother Raymond and Helen (McGrath) Pratt; nephew Kelly Pratt; brother-in-law Edgar Callen.
John is survived by his loving family; wife Joann Pratt of Waconia; children Glynis Caton of Chaska, Minnesota, Gail (Richard) Bliss of Excelsior, Linda (Kevin) Sharkey of Victoria, Lisa (Patrick) Hankey of McKinney, Texas; grandchildren Rob Caton, Brianna (Matt) Sharkey-Smith, Patrick Sharkey, Nicole Hankey, Kendall Hankey, John Austin Hankey, Joseph Hankey; step-grandchildren Rachel Adams-Bliss, Anne Bliss; sister Mildred Jane Callen of North Oaks, Minnesota; sister-in-law Lois (Dan) Peters of Manning, Iowa; nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.
Serving as Urn Bearers are Kevin Sharkey, Patrick Hankey, Richard Bliss, Rob Caton, Patrick Sharkey, Matt Sharkey-Smith, John Austin Hankey, Joseph Hankey.
Memorials preferred to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Arrangements are with the Johnson Funeral Home in Waconia. www.johnsonfh.com