Cecil A Pratt III

Cecil Alexander Pratt III was born on November 3, 1956 in Detroit Michigan and went to rest peacefully June 1, 2020 at the age of 63. Cecil is the son of the late Bishop Cecil Alexander Pratt Jr. and Dolores (Monroe) Pratt. He is the youngest of five children; Gregory Pratt, Debora Burks, Renia Peterson Philips and Krystal Burks. He has been preceded in death by his mother (Dolores), sister (Krystal), father (Cecil) and first wife Classye Patricia Parks-Pratt. Cecil and Classye were blessed with one son, Cecil Lamar Pratt. 

After being honorably discharged from the navy Cecil settled in San Diego CA, later remarrying his best friend Annie Justine Cooper-Pratt. Cecil and Annie established a relationshipNovember 11, 1984 and were happily married March 9th, 1997 for 23 years. Cecil gained two sons, Bashiri Kipchoage Cooper(48yrs) and Pierre (38yrs) Monte Radford. Cecil and Annie moved to Beavercreek OH in 2013 after both retiring to be closer to family.

Cecil attended South High school where he was able to meet friends that lasted a lifetime. After graduating high school Cecil joined the Navy December 29th, 1975 as a Cormann and was honorably discharged as an E3 Bolsum Mate December 10th, 1979 (4yrs). While in the navy Cecil was able to experience countries such as Guam and the Philippines. Cecil worked for the post office and other small jobs before committing to the City of San Diego’s Water Department as a temporary employee July 1983 to fulltime employment July 1984, retiring inNovember 2011. During his employment with the water department Cecil received numerous awards, certificates and promotions. The union of Cecil and Annie natured family bonds between Annie Huffman (mother-in-law), Christine Pascal (sister-in-law), Jerry Payton (brother-in-law), Janet Davis (sister-in-law), Maria Huffman (sister-in-law), Grandchildren, nieces and nephews. 

Cecil was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, cousin and friend. Never a stranger, Cecil will forever be known for his easy nature and joyful presence. He was the first person to meet a new friend and the last to leave a party. His laughter and easy smiles are hallmarks of who he was and the life he lived. Cecil was a connoisseur of fine dining and other categories and ready to share all his knowledge. Spending time with family, fishing, smoking brisket, homemade BBQ sauce and unexpected words of wisdom and are just some of what Cecil will leave behind. The boy who threw rocks in the Illy was later forged into a man worth meeting if only for a minute to experience a true carefree spirit.

Visitation is Friday, June 12, 2020 from 5 p.m. until the time of service at 6 p.m. in Greater Grace Temple.  Burial is Monday, June 15, 2020 in Dayton National Cemetery at 10 a.m.

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