Robert W. Pratt

Robert W. Pratt, a lawyer that went onto become a federal judge, who championed the underdog and the uncelebrated, died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday, Jan. 28. He was 78.

Robert, or "Bob," was born May 3, 1947, in Emmetsburg, Iowa. He was the son of Gregson Maurice Pratt and Laura Margaret Dunkleberg Pratt. He was the middle child of five children. He graduated from Emmetsburg High School in 1965. He subsequently graduated from Loras College in Dubuque in 1969 and Creighton Law School in Omaha in 1972. While a student at Loras, he was lucky enough to meet and eventually marry Rose Mary Vito, who was a student at nearby Clarke College, now Clarke University.

The two were married in Des Moines on Aug. 7, 1971. After finishing law school, they settled in Des Moines. Bob was employed by the Legal Aid Society and worked there until 1975 when he became a lawyer in private practice. He was fortunate to be mentored by many throughout his education and also after becoming a lawyer. He enjoyed the practice of law and was also fortunate to become involved early on in his life in politics and enjoyed that as a participating active citizen. He also loved reading and found great joy in baseball.

After working as a lawyer for 25 years, he was appointed as a United States Judge in the Southern District of Iowa in 1997. He served in that position until retiring in 2023. He was most proud of his marriage to Rose Mary and their children and grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife Rose Mary; Their daughter Kathleen Loughney (Kevin) of LaGrange, Ill., their son Michael Pratt (Emily Sickelka) of Chicago and their son Christopher Pratt (Melissa) of Lancaster, Pa. In addition, he is survived by seven grandchildren, including Andrew Loughney; Emmet Loughney; Owen Loughney; Jack Pratt; Clara Pratt; Peter Michael Pratt; and Henry Pratt. He is also survived by his stepdaughter Susan (Joey) Scanlon of Griffin, Ga. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother William Gregson in infancy, two grandchildren Robert Joseph Loughney and Nora Ascension Loughney in infancy. He is also survived by his sisters Ruth Neppl (Larry) of Marion and Mary Jane McWiliams (John) of Mount Vernon; and his brother James Gregson Pratt (Mary) of Iowa City.

A visitation and sharing of memories will be held from 4:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 2926 Beaver Ave., Des Moines. A celebration of his life will follow at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, also at Holy Trinity. Contributions may be made to the Legal Clinic at the Creighton University School of Law, Iowa Legal Aid, the Harkin Institute, and Des Moines Area Religious Council.

In 2009, Judge Pratt helped launch an annual Fourth of July naturalization ceremony coinciding with Iowa Cubs Baseball games. He administered an oath that was circulated among federal judges and commonly welcomed new citizens to the country with the following:

You may hear voices in this land say that there is only one true
American religion. Do not believe it.

As an American you may freely and openly be a Christian, a Jew, a
Hindu, a Bhuddist, a Muslim, or you may adhere to any other religion,
or you may be an agnostic or an atheist.You may hear voices in this
land say that there is only one true American way to think and believe
about political matters, economic matters, and social matters. Do not
believe it.

As an American you may freely and openly adhere to political,
economic, and social views on the right, on the left, or anywhere in
between. You may hear voices in this land say that there is only one
true American set of values. Do not believe it.

As an American you may openly hold beliefs and values greatly
different from those of others – even if those of others are shared by
many and yours are shared by few.

Simply stated, there is no single American way to think or believe.

Indeed, conformity of thought and belief would be contrary to the
underlying principles of this great nation.

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