Portrait of Pratt Dean. IMB Photo
Pratt Dean, an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel in Japan, died May 5, 2025, in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 91.
Pratt was born March 13, 1934, in Ozark, Alabama, to the late Virgil Loama Dean and Willie Mae Preston. He graduated from Dale County High School and received a diploma from the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois; the Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College (Illinois); and the Bachelor of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas.
While seeking missionary appointment he wrote, “In the fall of 1952 I entered the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago where I was happily involved in an intensive atmosphere of prayer, Bible study, practical Christian work and missions. It was here that I began to assume that I would serve as a missionary.”
His interest in missions continued at Wheaton College, where he enrolled in the fall of 1955. While he was at Wheaton College the martyrdom of five young missionary men in Ecuador left a lasting impact on him. Most of these young men had attended Wheaton.
After graduation from seminary, he accepted the pastorate of a church in Florida and was active in the state convention. While seeking appointment he wrote, “My missions interest, which has been fed through Moody, Wheaton and Southwestern, has been kept alive by a good W.M.U. (Woman’s Missionary Union) and by literature and continuing contacts with missionaries at home and abroad. … I thank God for His plan and purpose for my life and for His ordering of my steps so wonderfully, even when I at times forget to look where I am going. “
In 1966, the International Mission Board appointed Pratt missionary to Japan. In 1970, he married Rita Duke. Together, they served in Japan until their retirement.
Pratt was preceded in death by his wife of almost 50 years, Rita Duke Dean.
He is survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and his beloved dog, Cardio.
A service of remembrance was held May 18 at Church on the Bluff in Hoover, Alabama.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Lottie Moon Offering, IMB, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230, or online at Generosity Resource Center – IMB Generosity.
Read an obituary here.