Charles “Charley” Alexander Pratt Jr. died in Chula Vista on June 16, 2025 with his wife, Dee Irwin Pratt, at his side. In addition to his spouse, Charley is survived by his daughters Alicia (Lisa) Pratt Mayer of Ellmendingen, Germany, Evelyn Carpenter of Fort Collins, Colorado, his siblings Penny Pratt Barham, Carol Pratt Dail, and brother Michael Pratt of Reidsville, Greensboro and Durham, North Carolina, respectively. Charley had five grandchildren: Josephine, Franciska, and Rebeca Mayer of Germany, and Carolyn and Jack Carpenter of Colorado.
Charley was born on September 26, 1940, in Greensboro, North Carolina to Charles Alexander Pratt Senior and Evelyn Kernodle Pratt. As the oldest of five children, Charley (“Cappy” to his nuclear family) was fiercely protective of his younger siblings, although his insistence on attempting to feed graham crackers to his newborn baby sister Penny was not always fully appreciated by his mother Evelyn. His younger brother Frank, a decorated Air Force pilot, got his first taste of combat wrestling with his older brother Charley all over the house, yard and playgrounds of greater Greensboro. Charley’s family moved many times during his formative years, and he developed a strong sense of travel and adventure, a deep love of chess and photography, as well as the value of hard work and entrepreneurship. In fact, Charley became an expert salesman and the youngest real estate agent ever licensed in North Carolina at the time, and the state licensing board subsequently changed the rules to prevent future “barely 17-year-olds” like Charley from holding real-estate licenses.
However, a chance visit to a pet store with his Uncle Paul and Aunt Eunita at age thirteen put Charley on the path that would define the rest of his life: a love and devotion to tropical fish. Wherever Charley lived from that day forward, friends, family and acquaintances would encounter a home full of fish tanks and exotic plants that Charley raised and sold, beginning in the 8th grade. Charley earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Guilford College, which gave him the technical skills to carry his passion for tropical fish into many business ventures and related opportunities over the course of his adult life.
One of the seminal events shaping Charley’s formative years was the legendary Woolworth’s Lunch Counter Sit-in Greensboro, a non-violent protest by black residents against the harsh Jim Crow laws of South. The protest gained national and international attention, and it helped lead to MLK’s 1962 March on Washington, and finally the signing of the country’s first Civil Rights Act by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1964. At Woolworth’s, Charley sat silently behind black patrons, a young white man bearing witness to their cause, offering the only thing he could to help; the protection of his skin color and youth against the angry, racist mobs outside the café. Those and other experiences helped forge Charley’s unwavering dedication to social justice and personal integrity.
In addition to “no blacks allowed” pronouncements, Charley didn’t have much use for other signs, such as “No Trespassing” or “No Camping”, like when he would take his daughters to the Salton Sea or across the country in his old blue Ford van, whose sliding door would occasionally fall off at inopportune times. Although Charley might bend the rules from time to time, for the important things he was deeply ethical, strictly compliant and saw every human being as equal and worthy of respect and dignity.
When he and his first wife, Claire Chase Pratt, headed West to California for a honeymoon, Charley took a break from UNC Chapel Hill law school, and the newlyweds arrived in San Diego with just $50 in their pockets. They never left, beginning a new life in Southern California.
Charley and Claire had their first child (Alicia) Lisa, followed shortly thereafter by Evelyn. Over the next several years, Pratt’s Tropical Fish was born, a large wholesale tropical fish business with customers spread throughout Southern California, and a large commercial tropical fish hatchery in National City. The businesses thrived and later added two retail pet stores. When Charley and Claire eventually separated then divorced in 1979, they navigated their relationship into a strong friendship focused on raising their two daughters.
As Executive Director for the Society for Computer Simulation (SCS), Charley entered a new world of academia and non-profits. He began teaching as an associate professor at Southwestern College in the computer science department. His students remember him as an academic advisor and strong mentor, who provided support to all his students regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. Charley was always ready to help students believe in themselves and their abilities. They could tackle challenging coursework, and he would help them.
Regardless of other professional and academic pursuits, Charley’s love of fish, entrepreneurship, and personal mentorship never dimmed. Following his stint at the SCS, he started Administrative Office, a company primarily focused on non-profit association management including computer and web-based services (and of course fish sales), a business combination that didn’t always make sense to everyone, but one that made his second wife, Dee Irwin Pratt, laugh out loud. Charley and Dee’s romance began in 1986, and the couple got married in 1993. Together they established a life filled with family, friendship, adventure, travel, and always, tropical fish.
Dee, an accounting and business professional, supported Charley’s entrepreneurial efforts, and provided love, companionship, intellectual stimulation and a willing travel partner as they crisscrossed the United States and Europe over the years. They were active in the San Diego Tropical Fish Society, and they loved movies, volleyball, gardening, and yearly family reunions in North Carolina. They maintained a robust business raising, breeding, delivering and selling fish from San Diego to San Bernadino County, eventually closing the business and selling the fish hatchery in 2022 while maintaining his personal hatchery at their home. In his last years, Dee served as both a loving companion and caretaker to Charley, ensuring his well-being and care. He will be deeply missed by Dee, his daughters, his siblings and their families, and many friends.
Should you wish to express your condolences with a donation please consider the Alzheimer’s San Diego, 335 Ruffin Road, San Diego, CA 92123.
Colonial Funeral Home in Madison is serving the family.
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