Mortimer Watson Pratt

Mortimer
    Watson Pratt, 89
     GORHAM -- Mortimer Watson Pratt, formerly of Prouts Neck, died peacefully in his sleep on Feb. 11, 2008. He was 89 years old.
     Mort was born on Nov. 22, 1918, in Brooklyn, N.Y., where his father was stationed at the end of World War I. He was the eldest child of Louis Mortimer Pratt Jr. and Margaret Watson Pratt. He grew up in Chestnut Hill, Mass., and graduated from the Noble and Greenough School in 1936. He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1940.
     In October 1940, he married his childhood love Emilie Ann (Bunny) Bostwick. They settled in Ardmore, Pa., where he worked for Smith, Kline and French Laboratories. Mort managed the company's research and development department during his 26-year tenure.
     In 1944, World War II interrupted his career and Mort was sent to the Electronics Technician School at the Naval Research Lab in Bellevue, D.C. He served two years aboard the U.S.S. TETON (AGC14) as a radio technician second class. The U.S.S. TETON was one of the first ships to go into Tokyo Bay after the Japanese ceased hostilities in August 1945. It was from the U.S.S. TETON that the announcement of Japan's formal surrender was sent to the world. Mort was in the room when the message was sent.
     Mort returned in 1946 to Ardmore, where he and Bunny continued to raise their family. They later moved to Bryn Mawr, Pa., where they lived for nearly 20 years. In October 1966, Mort took early retirement from Smith Kline and moved to Prouts Neck where he and Bunny had met as children.
     In 1969 Mort began his second career and went to work as a trust officer at Canal Bank in Portland, retiring in 1984. He later worked as a real estate broker for LandVest, Inc. Many of the photographs he took of listed properties along the Maine coast appeared in national and international magazine articles. Mort served on the board of the Mercy-Douglas Hospital while living in the Philadelphia area. He volunteered 2,897 hours of service at Maine Medical Center from 1993-2000. He was well liked and respected by the doctors and nurses with whom he worked.
     Mort loved Prouts Neck. He was both Vice-Commodore and Commodore of the Prouts Neck Yacht Club and was named a warden of the Prouts Neck Association. An avid boater/sailor, Mort spent countless hours in the summer cruising Saco Bay with his family, picnicking on Richmond Island and exploring the shores. A talented photographer, Mort captured many of these memories using his experienced eye to create stunning shoreline photographs. Mort gave many tours around the paths on Prouts Neck to those interested in Winslow Homer.
     Mort was predeceased by his wife of 60 years, Emilie Ann Bostwick Pratt; and two of his brothers, Davis W. Pratt and Alexander Pratt. He is survived by his brother, Herbert W. Pratt of Cambridge Mass., sisters Georgiana P. Chase and Margaret (Peggy) P. Ross, both of Scarborough; and half-brothers, Stuart Pratt of Essex, Mass., and Lowell Pratt of Los Angeles, Calif. He also leaves three children, Vaughan Watson Pratt of Portland, Ann Pratt Willauer of Prouts Neck and David Tomlinson Pratt of Cape Elizabeth; grandchildren Jon Pratt of Hong Kong and New York, Kali Bennert of Cumberland, Chauncey Pratt of New York, Margaret Willauer-Tobey of Brunswick, Tori Willauer of Owls Head, Ben Willauer of Freeport, Nick Pratt of Hingham, Mass. and Tom Pratt of Brooklyn, N.Y. Mort has seven great-grandchildren who were the light of his life during his last years.
     A memorial service will be held at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, 885 Shore Rd., Cape Elizabeth on Saturday, March 1 at 11 a.m. A private family interment will be in the spring.
    In lieu of flowers, contributions
     may be sent to:
     Prouts Neck Audubon Society Care of Herbert W. Pratt - Treasurer
     11 Brown St.
     Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138