Lester Elmer Pratt Jr.

FEBRUARY 23, 1927 – FEBRUARY 5, 2015

Lester Elmer Pratt, Jr. went to be with his heavenly Father on February 5, 2015 with his family by his side. Lester was born on February 23, 1927 in Lake Arthur, Louisiana to Lester Elmer Pratt, Sr. and Zella Mae Cain Pratt. He was preceded in death by his wife Pauline, his brother Willard (“Buddy”), and his sister Barbara. He is survived by his two children, Julia Bjork and her husband Roger of Round Rock, TX; Les Pratt and his wife Kristy of San Antonio; five grandchildren:, Collin Bjork and his wife Evelyn Meisell of Bloomington, Indiana; Elise Ruffin and her husband Hunter of Austin, TX; and Haley Pratt, Hannah Pratt, and Luke Pratt all of San Antonio, TX; his sister Wilma Harris of North Liberty, Iowa; sister-in-law Helen Pratt of Fort Worth, TX; sister-in-law Dorothy Granberg of Lytle, TX; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Lester was a member of the Greatest Generation with a strong work ethic and a dedication to his family and country. Lester spent his first 11 years in Lake Arthur, Louisiana and then moved with his family to East Texas and lived in Winnsboro. He attended Winnsboro High School for one year. The family then moved to Fort Worth where he graduated from Carter Riverside High School in 1944. He especially enjoyed playing the trombone in both high school bands and working on cars or anything mechanical. At a young age, he took jobs to help support his mother and younger siblings during the Depression. Out of love for his country he enlisted in the Coast Guard right after high school graduation. He served in Alaska for the last year and half of WWII receiving an honorable discharge. After the war Lester attended Texas Christian University for a year and then Texas Tech University, graduating in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. The majority of Lester’s engineering career was in Civil Service at Brooks Air Force Base School of Aerospace Medicine and Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio. His talents in the field of engineering allowed him to assist in the development of some valuable medical devices including the pulse oximeter still used daily in medicine today. He especially enjoyed the historic years in the early 1960’s when he worked as part of the space program, sending a monkey into space and trying to determine if and how humans could go into space. In early March 1954, he met the love of his life, Pauline Gueldner, on a blind date. Quickly falling in love, they married on May 29, 1954 and were married for one month shy of 60 years. Ambitious and hard-working, Lester enjoyed having multiple businesses in addition to his engineering career. He and Pauline owned Half Hour Laundromat on Blanco Road from 1956-1964. Lester’s love for and knowledge of mechanical things led he and Pauline to open Blanco Rentals in 1966. He loved assisting customers with equipment for their projects. The business thrived and expanded until Lester and Pauline sold it in 1999. Lester loved being with his family, friends and pets. He was always active and loved to play Hearts. He traveled extensively around the U.S. and twice to Europe. He was a member of Concordia Lutheran Church for many years serving on the Board of Elders and in other capacities. More recently he was a member of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church. In spite of his physical and speech paralysis for the past 16 years following a stroke, Lester remained upbeat and positive, befriending everyone he came into contact with. The family wishes to thank Lester’s loving caretaker, Juana Schraitle, and his many other caretakers, friends, and family for their support and prayers. Visitation will be held on Monday, February 9th at Sunset Funeral Home from 6pm – 8:30pm. Services will be held at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church on Tuesday, February 10th at 11am, with interment to follow at Sunset Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Lester’s name to Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 308 Mount Calvary Drive, San Antonio, TX 78209.