Forrest "Butch" E. Pratt

Forrest Everett “Butch” Pratt, Jr. age 70 of Hanover, Illinois died on Saturday, July 28, 2012 at the Elizabeth Nursing Home, Elizabeth, Illinois. A funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at the United Presbyterian Church, Hanover with Pastor Ron Sumption officiating. Burial will take place in the Evergreen Cemetery, Hanover. A visitation will be held from 9:00-10:30 a.m., prior to the funeral service at the church. A memorial fund has been established in Butch’s memory.
Butch was born on May 27, 1942, the son of Forrest and Bernadene (Lyle) Pratt, Sr. in Kewanee, Illinois. He attended High School in Neponset, Illinois and graduated with the Class of 1960. Butch met his future wife, Linda L. Armstrong in a subway station in Times Square, New York. They were united in marriage on June 27, 1964 in the United Presbyterian Church, Hanover.
After graduation, Butch served his country in the United States Navy for twenty-two years before retiring. During his enlistment, Butch served aboard five different Destroyers and was deployed overseas several times. Butch and Linda moved their family many times during his career and their three children were all born in different states. After he retired, he kept busy working at Chestnut Mountain and Storybrook Golf Course. He enjoyed watching sports television and loved to surf the channels. He also enjoyed taking rides in the car and watching the eagles on the river during the winter. Most of all, Butch cherished spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.
Butch will be dearly missed by his wife, Linda of Hanover; three children, Peggy (Dick) Richmond of Clinton, Iowa, Jerry (Mindy) Pratt of Elizabeth and Karen (Matt) Nelson of Iowa City, Iowa; ten grandchildren, Jason, Jennifer (Gabe), Janessa, Nathan, Rachel, Nicholas, Sarah, Andrew, Kayla and Daniel; five great grandchildren, Ragenea, Madison, Xavier, Isabella and Hailie; his mother, Bernadene Pratt of Galesburg, Illinois; two sisters, Judi Strom of Peoria, Illinois and Kathy (Curt) Hirshfield of Galesburg; two brothers, John (Patty) Pratt of Grimes, Iowa and Roger (Virginia) Pratt of Kewanee, Illinois. Butch was preceded in death by his father, Forrest Pratt, Sr. and one grandson, Austin Nelson.