Aloysius 'Al' William Pratt

Aloysius "Al" William Pratt, 84, passed away at his home on his ranch north of Billings, Mont., on Friday, April 17, 2015.

Vigil services will be held Thursday, April 23, at 6 p.m. with visitation beginning at 1 p.m., at St. Raphael's Parish in Glasgow. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Friday, April 24, at 11 a.m. at St. Raphael's Parish. Right of Committal will follow at Highland Cemetery. A luncheon will take place at St. Raphael's Parish following committal.

He was born May 31, 1930, in Youngstown, Ohio, to Aloysius Jerome Pratt and Augusta (Meiers) Pratt. He was raised in Youngstown with his older sister, Aggie, and attended catholic school as a child. He graduated with honors in 1948 from Chaney High School in Youngstown. He was also class president, a member of the Ancient Order of Alchemists and participated in the class play. After high school he joined the United States Navy in August 1948, where he was based in San Diego on the USS Bairoko and USS Curtiss until he was honorably discharged in August 1949. He was concurrently transferred to the Naval Reserve for another six years.

He then went to Youngstown State University where he graduated in the class of 1952 with a BS in electrical engineering and would later receive a masters from The Case Institute - Western Reserve University.

After college he went to work for Jack & Heintz Co. in Cleveland, Ohio, where he met his wife, Eleanor Alley. They were married Oct. 16, 1954, at Our Lady Of Peace in Cleveland, Ohio. They moved to New Carlisle, Ohio, in 1959, where he worked for Leland Airborne Products until 1964.

He and Eleanor bought a farm just outside New Carlisle in 1963 where he designed and then manufactured electrical components for small gas engines for Kohler. They built a new building in New Carlisle to expand their new business, A.W. Pratt, Inc., and would later move it to Glasgow in 1973, where they would continue until selling out in 2003.

He and Eleanor bought Rock Creek Ranch north of Hinsdale in 1972 from Harvey Jones to pursue his true love of ranching. He especially loved Arabian horses. He and Eleanor purchased their second ranch, Basin Ranch, north of Billings in 1993. After they sold A.W. Pratt, Inc., they moved to Billings to operate Basin Ranch full time. He also continued to operate Rock Creek Ranch and the farm in Ohio until his passing.

He was a great man of principle and strong ethics. The devout Catholic never strayed from doing the right thing. He was a rancher at heart, but succeeded at everything he did. He was a brilliant engineer and had several patents in his name during his lifetime.

He was preceded in death by one sister, Aggie Kirkendahl; and his wife Eleanor, of over 57 years at the time of her passing a year and a half before him.

Survivors include a daughter, Lizbeth Pratt (Resnick) of France; two sons, Bill Pratt of Hinsdale and Tom Pratt of Phoenix, Ariz.; four grandchildren, Preston Blakeley, Cassandra Pratt, Alexandra Pratt and Thomas Pratt; his dedicated caregivers, Emie and Virginia; and his beloved horse, Gus, and dog Abby.

Condolences may be sent to bellmortuarymontana.com. Bell Mortuary of Glasgow is in charge of all arrangements.