Obituary: Arthur L. Pruitt (Jan. 1922 - Oct. 17, 2009)

He entered the Navy at 17 and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II.  He married Elizabeth McKee and they had a daughter, Pamela.

After the war, Dad flew with the “Flying Tigers’ to Japan.  On Dec. 31, 1947, he married Mary Sheppard and they had a son, Charles.

Dad was an intellectual, self-taught engineer, who was project manager and traveled the nation and world for General Dynamics and Atlantic Research.   He worked on the earliest and some of today’s guided missiles and rockets.  This was all secret stuff so we never asked him questions about his work. He moved to Crescent City 38 years ago from Southern California.  Every week he would leave on Mondays to drive to Arcata and fly to Washington, D.C., via San Francisco; then reverse the trip on Fridays because he loved the area so much.

He built a Colorado River cabin, two beautiful homes in the redwoods, a motor boat,  sand buggy, and refurbished a commercial fishing boat before retiring at 70 years.  He moved from the Crescent City area to Los Osos six years ago to be near family.

Dad was a nature lover, conservationist/activist, marksman, birdwatcher, hiker, camper, fisherman, rock hounder, guitar player, singer and a good dancer.  He loved boating, whether sailing in his sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay or fishing for salmon from his boat out of Crescent City.   He loved wide-open spaces, sleeping under a star-lit sky, and sitting on his deck overlooking the ocean at sunset at the end of a busy day.

He leaves his wife of 61 years, Mary; daughter Pam (Don); son Charles (April) and step-daughter Diana (Paul), 9 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren and his beloved dog, “Patches.”

Our family wishes to thank Hospice of the Central Coast, Dr. Vaughan and especially Vicki and Robert, his caretakers.  A private memorial service is being planned.