Willard "Buddy" Pratt

1929 - 2011

Willard "Buddy" Pratt, 82, passed away Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011. Memorial service: 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at Grapevine Unity Church, 1650 Hughes Road, Grapevine. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Texas Girls' Choir or Fort Worth Animal Control. Buddy was born in Lake Arthur, La., on April 27, 1929. He moved to Fort Worth when he was 8 years old. He started working for his uncle at Bailey's Barbeque in downtown Fort Worth in 1945. He bought the business from his uncle in 1961 and successfully ran it until 1994 when he retired and his daughter Brenda took over. Buddy liked to ice skate when he was young, and later he rode motorcycles with the rest of the family. One of his favorite pastimes was playing Keno with his systems; he spent hours working out how he was going to play the game. He also enjoyed his two grandchildren and taking his dog on long walks. Buddy was preceded in death by a sister, Barbara Tarter. Survivors: Wife of 54 years, Helen; daughters, Kathy and husband, Mike Mitchell, Brenda and Mike Grant, and Shari Pratt; grandsons, Conner and Kamden Mitchell; twin sister, Wilma Harris; brother, Lester Pratt and wife, Pauline; extended family and friends; and last, but not least, his Beagle, Barney.