David Pratt

A Eulogy for David Albert Pratt, written by his daughters Roana and Jessica. David was one of seven children, son to Alice and Bill. He was brought up in Warrington before moving to Blackpool with his family aged 10. He attended Baines School and then St George's in Marton. David was a bonny, lively child and played football most days with his school pals - a midfield general, captain fantastic type - similar to Bryan Robson, or so he claimed! In his early teens, David once shot a lad with an air rifle by mistake and was convinced he was going to be locked up. He went on the run for three days, his mate Harry lent him his dinner money and told him to buy a paper and hide out on Central Pier. Thankfully David avoided the nick and on leaving school, he did an apprenticeship and worked for Duple coach builders. Not long after, he met the love of his life Anne, who he married aged 21 at St Monica's Church in Blackpool. The great thing about the pair was their shared sense of humour, which they were grateful for when their honeymoon coach trip to Torquay turned out to be exclusively for pensioners. It was something they always laughed about! Following redundancy, David started working for Royal Mail as a postman. After a few years, he was given a managerial position and the family relocated to Sabden, where he joined the Burnley sorting office. One highlight was when David led his men on a sponsored walk for 40 miles from Burnley to Blackpool. In later years, he moved back to the Fylde Coast with his family and joined the St Annes' sorting office until finally taking early retirement at 55. David was a huge character, incredibly witty and the type of person who lit up the room… as his mum always says ‘the sun shines on the righteous'… And with that tan of his, it definitely did! He was a man's man, a footie fan, a knowledgeable fan of any sport. He excelled at sports and if he didn't win you could be sure he would lose graciously… okay for those who really knew him.. ungraciously… let's be honest he didn't like to lose! He was also a man of contradiction… Some of you may be surprised to know that David was also a huge musical theatre fan. Over the years he saw Les Misérables about five times and many other West End shows with his family. He wanted to go again on his 50th birthday and they did. The song ‘Bring Him Home' was his favourite, it reminded him of his young son Aaron who passed away when he was 3. Everyone who knew him can still remember David's infectious laughter and how he was always smiling and up for a laugh - or a ‘bit of fun for t'lads' as he would say! People were drawn to him - not only for his fantastic sense of humour but for his warmth and advice… you could talk to him about anything. David knew how precious life was and he made sure he lived his life to the fullest. He wore his heart on his sleeve and nothing was ever left unsaid. He ended every phone call with his family with ‘love you'. He always said his children were his legacy and they know that if they can build even half the life that he had with Anne, from humble beginnings to ‘Pratt Towers'… they'll live a happy life like him. David was not only a great family man, but also a dedicated son and he loved nothing more than taking his mum, or Al as he called her, out for fish and chips - something that his children will continue in his honour. He will of course be remembered for his love of Manchester United… and telling everyone he'd been to four champions league finals - Barcelona, Moscow, Rome and Wembley, how Roana had been to three and Jessica two! Some of his happiest times were cheering on United with his girls. He always missed his son Aaron but he never let that stop him from being the best father he could be, he would do anything for Roana and Jessica - he was their taxi service, bank, handyman - an essential service… as he often said himself, ‘Dave will do it!' He never shied away from hard work, having worked multiple jobs at times to support his family. One of his children's fondest memories is how one Christmas in the early nineties, their Dad spent weeks building them their very own sweet shop - the Pratt's Toffee Shoppe! David always loved his holidays, topping up his tan and pretending he could speak Spanish when they visited his in-laws apartment in Murcia throughout the years! In 2018, he went on the trip of a lifetime to Canada. There he met up with dear friends, enjoyed a wedding, went on a bear hunt in the Rockies and visited Spirit Island. One of the most important things to David was friendship, as evidenced by the number of friends he had. He made friends everywhere he went. I'm sure you all have at least one standout memory with Dave, no doubt a humorous one - and they should be cherished. Dave loved nothing more than having a pint with an old friend - so he had plenty of pints over the years! In this saddest of moments, his family take solace in knowing that David is reunited with his lost loved ones and much like his beloved Sir Alex Ferguson, he retired at the very top. I'm sure if David could leave you with one thing today, it would be to advise you to follow in his footsteps and take life seriously but not yourself, love fully and lean into the small joys and absurdities of life, and designate a bit of silliness as self-care... Keep laughing in his memory and ultimately… be more Dave!