Alice Elizabeth Pratt, age 89, of Hammond, widow of Leon Pratt, died peacefully Easter morning at the Baldwin Area Medical Center.  Alice was born on October 31, 1921, to Elmer and Opal (Bosley) Perrin in the Town of Beaver near Turtle Lake, WI.  She was the second oldest of eight children (2 girls and 6 boys).  Alice grew up on the family farm and attended Beaver Grade School.  She was graduated from Turtle Lake High School – class of 1939.  After graduating, she worked as a nanny for a family in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  She later became a cook’s helper at the Amery Hotel.  It was there that she met Leon Pratt.  The two dated for a few years before being married on June 12, 1943, at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, where Leon was going through Army training.  After Leon was deployed stateside, Alice returned to live on the family farm.  Once Leon returned, the Pratt family began farming in partnership with two of Alice’s brothers.  Later, the family moved to their own farm on the other side of Turtle Lake.  In 1954, they moved to Baldwin where Leon began work at Bark’s Bakery.  The following year they moved to Hammond where Alice managed the Pratt household which included children, Ron, Cynthia & Sheila.  After Leon retired in 1998, he and Alice moved to an apartment in Baldwin.  In 1999, Leon died after struggling with cancer.  In 2002, Alice was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  After a successful surgery and miraculous recovery, Alice would continue to live in Baldwin until 2007, when she moved to the American Heritage Assisted Living apartments in Hammond.

Alice was a hard working and dedicated woman.  She was very talented with a needle and thread, hand making wedding dresses and doing mending and alterations for many people in the Baldwin and Hammond area.  Many little girls were delighted to find new clothes for their Barbie dolls under the tree on Christmas morning that Alice had designed and crafted.  She also did needlework – plastic canvas and crocheting as well as making beautiful afghans for friends and family.  In her younger years, she and Leon enjoyed going to dances at some of the local pavilions.   The two also maintained beautiful vegetable and flower gardens.  She was active in her church, the Hammond United Church of Christ, participating in the Ladies Aid and cooking for the church dinners.  She loved time with her friends and family, hosting an annual July 4th celebration every year at her home and going with the family to the Minnesota State Fair.  As she got older, she kept in touch with friends and family the “old fashioned way”, writing beautiful letters.  She enjoyed her daytime television and game shows and was always ready for a game of Canasta, 500, or Euchre with friends and family.

 Alice is survived by her children, Ron (Glenda) Pratt of Hammond, Cynthia (Lawrence) Johnson of Hammond, and Sheila (Michael) Kothbauer of Maplewood, MN; grandchildren, Ann-Marie (Kevin) Kirsch, Susan (Jesse) Oliver, Todd (Tara) Johnson, Ellen (Christopher) Campion, Peggy (Bill Harrington) Johnson, Sonja (Todd) Torkelson, Jennifer (Jim) Elmquist, and Terri (Mark) Cunningham; great-grandchildren, Olivia, Lyle, Daniel, Alison, Grace, Emma, Kyle, Kasey, Tyler, Ryland, Sarah, Tory, Camren, Gabbi and Devon; siblings, Alfred Perrin of Baldwin, Bruce (Micki) Perrin of Waterloo, IA, and John (Darlene) Perrin of Ramsey, MN; sisters-in-law, Harriet Perrin of Moorhead, MN, Gladys Perrin of Gainesville, FL, and Eleanor Perrin of Cheyenne, WY, as well as many nieces, nephews, and special friends.

 Alice was preceded in death by her parents; Elmer and Opal (Bosley) Perrin; husband, Leon Pratt; brothers, Dante, David, and Richard; and sister, Helen.

 Services for Alice will be held on Friday, April 29 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Hammond at 11 o’clock in the morning.  Burial will follow at the Hammond Cemetery.  Visitation will take place for 2 hours prior to services at the church.  Services are in the care of the O’Connell Family Funeral Home – Baldwin.