Mary Pratt remembers the day she met Jack as if it were yesterday. “We were at a church event. He was 19, and I was 13,” she recalls, adding with a laugh, “He doesn’t remember, because he was there to see another girl.” Many years later, they met again while both working for the Placerville Fruit Growers Association, and this time, the timing was right. Now, nearly six decades of marriage later, the Pratts are still going strong, united by their mutual passion for making a difference in the lives of others—so much so that they’re the recent recipients of the 2016 El Dorado County Seniors of the Year Award. 

In between jobs and raising their four children, both were longtime volunteers for local fire departments: Jack as a firefighter, and Mary as a member of the women’s auxiliary. The pair has also been active members of the Sherriff’s Team Active Retirees, or STAR, an organization that assigns area retirees to patrol the community and ensure residents’ safety. As retired seniors themselves, the Pratts are especially drawn to activities that provide a better quality of life for elderly and disabled members of the community. Through STAR’s You Are Not Alone (YANA) program, the Pratts make regular check-in calls to housebound seniors and disabled people. This month, they will send each of their clients a Christmas card—a way of reminding them that someone cares. For the Pratts, giving back is a reward in itself, not to mention it keeps them active and involved in the community post-retirement. “It’s better than sitting on the sofa like a couch potato!” jokes Jack.

 — Amber Foster 

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