Fresno’s last remaining Pearl Harbor survivor laid to rest

William Pratt died on Jan. 23 at 103 years old.

“That is a long life. He was blessed with these years for living right and being obedient to the Word of God,” Pratt’s oldest son Bill Pratt Jr. said.

Pratt’s family says he lived a life marked by dedication and service – always putting others before himself.

“I never heard a word spoken against him,” Pratt Jr. said.

Pratt served in the Navy for six years and was at Pearl Harbor during the 1941 attack.

He and his brother were aboard the U.S.S. Nevada when it took a torpedo.

“My grandmother attributes their survival to the fact that they honored both their parents and they knew the Lord,” Pratt Jr. said.

Pratt was born in Bloomington, Illinois Dec. 19, 1921. He moved to Illinois Street in Fresno after the war to open a metal manufacturing business.

There he met his wife Pauline and together they had two sons. The two were married for over 70 years.

Pratt Jr. says his father worked hard to provide for his family but was intentional to spend quality time with them as well – he was their hero.

Despite Pratt’s bravery in war and hard work to take care of them, Pratt Jr. says the single most important thing his father ever did was teach them about Jesus.

“We were given Bibles and went to church together. We read those Bibles as a family at the kitchen table,” Pratt Jr. said.

Pratt Jr. says those simple kitchen table memories are what he cherishes the most.

“I could not have asked for a better father… He will be missed,” Pratt Jr. said.