John Paul Pratt

1945 - 2021

John Paul Pratt

1945 - 2021, In Loving Memory

Duchesne, Utah. John Paul Pratt was born in Downey, CA on July 4, 1945 and passed away on October 12, 2021 at home in Duchesne, UT at the age of 76. He grew up in Salt Lake City, UT with his parents LeGrand and Kathryn Pratt, and older brother Jim. He graduated first in his class from South High in 1963. He served an LDS mission to southern Brazil in 1965. He had a bachelor's degree in physics and math from the U. of Utah (1968-69), and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the U. of Arizona (1976). He married Ruth McOmber in 1970 and had five children: John, Julie, Mary, Jared, and Joseph. He is survived by his former wife Ruth, his five children, and his 28 grandchildren. He faced death twice by overcoming leukemia in 2009 and a bad case of fasciitis in his leg in 2017, but ultimately fell to covid pneumonia this year.

John had a passion for religious calendars and chronology and always loved science and math. As a youth, he discovered calendars at three, prime numbers at four, and studied dinosaurs intensely in the fourth grade. He had many side interests, including outdoor survival, solving puzzles, and collecting books. He looked forward to his annual table tennis tournaments, playing chess with his grandkids, and going on family campouts.

John was a wonderful father, friend and devoted disciple of Jesus Christ. He loved to share his knowledge and was a seeker of truth and improvement. He would test his limits outdoors with just a sleeping bag, staff, and pocket knife. He emphasized cherishing life and listening to one's conscious.

After school finished in Tucson, AZ, his family moved to Layton and Kaysville, UT, where he did computer programming at Hill Air Force Base. From 1988 to 1999 his family lived in Orem, UT, where he worked for Ashton Research, WordPerfect, and Novell. He also worked for Cogito, Omniture, PerfectSearch, and taught astronomy at Utah Valley. He also lived in Pleasant Grove, American Fork, Lindon, and Duchesne, UT.

John wrote 254 articles on religion, science, calendars, and constellations that are linked on his website at johnpratt.com. Over ninety of those are in Meridian Magazine (1999-2014) and some for the Ensign. He is the author of the book 'The Creator's Magnificent Clock'. He is featured in the production, "Oh, How Lovely was the Morning! The Quest for the Date of the First Vision".

John served in many LDS church positions earlier in his life. Prior to death, he was an active participant in the Remnant movement, speaking at conferences. He later testified as a witness to the gold plates with a group in Brazil, which he fondly called the "reborn" LDS church where he served in the first presidency.

Funeral services will be held on Sunday, October 17 at 2:00 PM, with a viewing at 12:30 PM at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary 3401 S Highland Dr, Millcreek, UT 84106. For live streaming, please visit his obituary at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/salt-lake-city-ut/john-pratt-10398606 for a link to the event.