Charles "Chuck" William Pratt

On December 31, 2023, Charles "Chuck" William Pratt died in Sanford, FL following a short battle with the flu & pneumonia & a long battle with dementia. The world lost a hard worker, professional napper, master of the “field adjustment,” cookie freshness tester, avid tickler, community volunteer, problem-solver, & family man.

Chuck was born on May 23, 1944, in Washington, DC. His father, George Pratt, was an orphan from NJ & worked for PEPCO in DC. His mother, the former Dorothy Dowden, was from an Irish immigrant family in Arlington, VA. Chuck grew up in McLean, VA & graduated from Bishop O’Connell High School in 1962. He graduated from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL in 1967 with a degree in geology.

Chuck met his wife, the former Harva Pfeiffer, while teaching at Southwest Miami Middle School & they married on August 19, 1972, at the First United Methodist Church of South Miami in Coral Gables, FL. They moved to Oviedo, FL in 1973, where they lived together for almost 40 years.

Chuck incorporated his building contracting business as Chess, Inc. & primarily built custom homes & won a first prize in the Central FL Parade of Homes in the late 1980s. He was an Oviedo City Councilmember in the mid-1970s. He was the charter president of the Oviedo Chamber of Commerce in 1983 & 1984 & led major projects such as the creation of the Taste of Oviedo event & the conservation, move & restoration of Lawton House. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Oviedo for 29 years & ended up serving as the District Governor for District 6980 in 2006-2007.

Chuck and Harva joined the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo in the late 1980s & volunteered their time & efforts to the church and its many projects, including helping to lead & facilitate the construction of the new sanctuary.

Chuck loved his two daughters, Elizabeth & Sara and readily gave his heart, soul, time & money to them. He was their t-ball coach & taught them how to play baseball. During the annual summer trips to Fenwick Island, DE, he taught them how to go over, under or through waves & how to handle being caught in a riptide. He helped them move multiple times & completed major renovation projects at both of their current houses.

Chuck loved sports & held season tickets & attended all the home games of the 1972 Miami Dolphins undefeated season. He also attended the Atlanta Braves game where Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s homerun record & attended the University of Miami game when Doug Flutie threw his “Hail Flutie” pass. At the end of his life, he was a UCF season ticket holder for both football and basketball for over 10 years.

Throughout his life, Chuck believed in the good in all people & would help anyone who said they needed it. There were times in both his business life & personal life where people would take advantage of his generosity & his trust in the goodness of others, but luckily his faith was mostly validated by those whose paths he crossed.

Until his death, Chuck had a gleam in his eye, a ready laugh, & a positive outlook. Chuck was preceded in death by his wife, Harva, & his parents, George and Dorothy Pratt. He is survived by his two daughters, Elizabeth Daggett of Washington, DC & Sara Lunasco of Woodbridge, VA; his two sons-in-law, John Daggett & Kai Lunasco; his five grandchildren, Charlie, Henry, & Evelyn Daggett, & Koa & Kawika Lunasco; & his sister, Carol O’Brien of Sun City Center, FL, & Robert Pratt of Annapolis, MD.

In lieu of flowers, please give a donation in Chuck's name to Rotary International Foundation, Alzheimer's Association, or First Methodist Church of Oviedo.