Obituary of Dowell Wallace Pratt

Dowell Pratt, Sidney Dowell Wallace Pratt of Sidney, NY passed away on Thursday, October 15, 2015 at age 87. He was born on July 19, 1928 in Syracuse, NY, the son of Florence Alvord Pratt and Leon Eli Pratt. He spent his early years in North Syracuse then moved to Norwich in 1950. He was first employed as a Laboratory Technician at Norwich Pharmaceutical Company and then, in 1956, at Sheffield Chemical Company where he retired in 1988. Dowell married his first wife, Jean Rougeux in 1951 and lived in Norwich and the surrounding area until 1968. Dowell married his second wife, Nellie Ainslie Merring in 1968 and they raised registered Quarter Horses and Paints for a number of years in Youngs, NY before returning to the Norwich area. For the past several years, he has lived in Sidney. Dowell was a volunteer firefighter and officer in the Plymouth and Sidney Center Volunteer Fire Departments. He was an avid outdoorsman who has enjoyed years of hunting, fishing, camping, and boating. He was a life member of the National Rifle Association and was a certified NRA Hunter Safety Instructor in the Norwich area for a number of years. He is predeceased by his parents, his first wife Jean, his second wife Nellie, his grandson Jonathan Pratt, and his sisters Charlyn West and Jacquelyn Porter. He is survived by his sisters Gwen (Paul) Cornell of Sun City, AZ and Marilyn (Joe) Cobb of Dripping Springs, TX. He is also survived by his partner Lillian Alger of Sidney, his sons William (Debra) Pratt of Guilford and Andrew Pratt (Lisa Miner) of Norwich and his daughter, Janice Van Houten of Norwich. He is also survived by step-sons Thomas (Priscilla) Merring of Las Cruces, NM, Richard (Theresa) Merring of Bridgeport, NY and James (Linda) Merring of Brockport, NY Also surviving are his grandchildren Cassandra Pratt, Stephanie Pratt, Joshua Van Houten, Dakota Van Houten, Marcia Merring, Richard Merring Jr., Tammy Coomey, and great-grandchildren, Isabella and Megan Coomey, and Brooklyn Van Houten. Family and friends are invited to call at the C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel at 21 Main Street in Sidney, NY from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday, October 24. Burial in Highland Cemetery in Sidney Center will be private and at the convenience of the family. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Sidney Rescue Squad.