Garrett "Gary" D. Pratt, 93, of Orland passed away peacefully November 5, 2020, surrounded by his devoted daughters. Gary was born in Isleton, California, on February 26,1927, to Clarence and Emma Pratt of Walnut Grove, California. Gary was raised in the Sacramento Delta area. He
attended grade school in Isleton. After graduating from grammar school, he attended Rio Vista High School where he played basketball, track and football. He was also a member of the Future Farmers of America. He attended most school functions at Rio Vista but most of his Walnut
Grove friends were at Courtland, so he attended a lot of their events. It was there that he met the love of his life, Eleanor "Ellie."

ln 1944, during his senior year, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was sent to a supply group at Pearl Harbor, and later re-assigned to a salvage unit that went to the South Pacific bases abandoned by our troops as they moved closer to Japan.

After his honorable discharge, he began attending the College of Pacific. During that first semester, he got a job at JC Penney as a stock boy and became enrolled in their management program. When school started in the fall, he transferred to Stockton College and finished up there in 1949 with an Associate in Arts degree.

In 1948, Ellie and Gary were married in Reno, Nevada, and spent their honeymoon back-packing into the upper Yosemite Park with a pack burro named Ruthie.

After 10 years of employment with J.C.Penney's, he became the assistant manager at the Lodi store in 1958. In 1964, Gary was transferred to Orland as store manager and became active in the Orland Chamber of Commerce, Glenn County Chamber, Kiwanis Club and served as president of those organizations. He was also appointed and then elected to the Orland High School Board. After 29 1/2 years, Gary took early retirement from J.C Penney, and went to work at Westside Furniture store in Orland in 1977.

Prior to leaving Lodi, Gary had joined the Masonic Lodge and continued to be active in the Orland lodge and became Master in1970 and again in 1980.

During his early years in Orland he became interested in sailing and was one of the founding members of the Black Butte Yacht Club. He and Ellie participated in many Black Butte Regattas, at one time one of the largest regattas in Northern California. They sailed to Catalina, the San Juan Islands, San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento Delta.

In January 1983, Gary went to work for Jim Braziel, a sailing friend and financial planner. During that time he studied for and obtained his securities license after passing the certified planner tests and two separate insurance tests.

It was during this time Gary and Ellie became active square dancers and enjoyed traveling many places with a group of good friends known as the Westside Whirlers. It was also during this period that he became involved with senior softball and formed a team in Chico that soon
became well known all over the West.

In July 1989, he officially retired from the working class and was consumed with baseball and traveling with the senior softball group to tournaments in Hawaii, Southern Australia" Tasmania and Mesa, Arizona. In January l992,he was invited to play for a new 65 team from the San
Francisco Bay Area with the goal of going to the World Series. The team accomplished that goal and they played in the series in Detroit in September where they beat the three top teams in the series but then went flat and lost the next 3 games. The next year they played in the Senior World Series and finished 6th in the World Championships held in Scottsdale, Arizona. His love for his community was demonstrated through his service to the Friends of the Orland Free Library semi-annual book sale, the Orland Pantry Services and volunteering at the Glenn
County Senior Nutrition Center since 2012.

He is survived by his daughters Lynda Price (Steve) of Chico, Marsha Davis (Monte) of Gerber, son-in-law Richard Zielesch (Joy) of Washington state as well as one grandson and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Eleanor "Ellie" Pratt and daughter, Sandra Zielesch.

A "Celebration of Life" is being planned.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his narne to the Friends of the Orland Library.