Pratt, Thomas – 1919-1983

ESK, GROVSNER, HASSELBRINK, PRATT, SAGE

Posted By: Diana Wagner
Date: 8/25/2009 at 21:17:21

Funeral services for Thomas Pratt were held from the First Lutheran Church in Clarion on Wednesday, November 9 at 1 p.m. Rev. William Granger officiated. Military rites were conducted at Evergreen Cemetery by the Clarion American Legion and V.F.W. Masonic services were conducted at the Eyler-Willim Funeral Home on Tuesday evening. Tom died after an illness of cancer on Sunday at the Community Memorial Hospital in Clarion.
Casket bearers were: James Sebby, Donald Sharp, Richard Robson, Darrell Hanshaw, Darrell Evans and Frank Middleton. Honorary bearers were: Joe Tomke, Howard Wray, Dr. Richard Young, Robert L. Davidson, Jack and Blaine Shupe and Jim Jeeters.
Tom was born at Colfax on April 13, 1919 and was the son of John and Emma Grovsner Pratt. He graduated from the Colfax High School in 1937. He then attended Dry Cleaner School in Lubbock, Texas and returned to Colfax where he operated a dry-cleaning business. On August 28, 1940 he was married to Virginia Hasselbrink at Gallenton, Missouri. In 1946 they moved to Clarion and operated the City Cleaners until 1966. He then was a rural mail carrier in Clarion and Belmond. He retired in 1980.
For many years he was an umpire for the boys high school basketball games and served on the Clarion Recreation Board from 1961 until 1982. He was the first person in this country to have a Vizsla dog and was a founder and President of the Vizsla Club of America. In the past he had been a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Clarion Community School Board. He was a member of First Lutheran Church, The American Legion Post #246, and Cyrene Lodge #325 A F & A M. He had also been a member of the Rural Mail Carriers Association.
Survivors include his wife, a daughter: Mrs. Larry (Karen) Esk of Webster City, a son: Robert C. of Anchorage, Alaska, six grandchildren, three brothers: William of Charles City, Joseph and John E. of Colfax and a sister, Mrs. Mary Margaret Sage of Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister.
Source: The Wright County Monitor (Clarion, IA); Thursday, Nov. 10, 1983, page 2, col. 5