Eckhardt Prawitt (Eck) had virtues and vices in equal measure, but his main problem was that he was too smart for his own good.
Eck was born in the middle of an air raid in Königsburg, East Prussia, on July 24, 1941. He, his mother and two brothers were part of the Evacuation of East Prussia in early 1945, which took them to West Germany. In 1949 Eck emigrated with his whole family to Ogden, Utah; they settled in Salt Lake City.
Often ill as a child, Eck spent his younger years buried in books as his siblings and friends played sports. He graduated from West High School and enlisted in the Navy but was discharged after a naval collision in San Diego Bay. He graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in accounting.
In 1960 Eck married his high school sweetheart, Darlene Bushnell, and they had two sons. They later divorced and Eck married Lillian Avis in 1966, with whom he had three sons and a daughter.
Beginning at a young age, Eck loved taking things apart to figure out how they worked; eventually, he coupled that with an interest in putting them back together. He could often be found in the center of a heap of small machinery and electronics pieces in various states of disassemble and reconstitution. At various times he worked as a tax auditor, accountant, comptroller, property valuator, software writer and professional witness. He also owned and co-owned several businesses. His passions included photography and chess. An avid non-fiction reader, Eck consumed as much as he could of scientific journals and science magazines.
Opinionated and precise in his thinking, Eck had no affection for religion but never tried to foist his atheism onto others. He had a dark, dry, rapier sense of humor and no patience for either small talk or small minds. Refusing to ever “go along to get along,” he was always stubborn, often insufferable and strategically charming. At the same time, he was supportive and generous with those he loved. He adored San Francisco, detested advertising, loved buying cars, and relished playing with the latest mechanical and computerized gadgets.
Eck also loved drinking at his favorite clubs, at home, and anywhere else he could get away with it. Sadly, his skill at justifying his drinking and denying his alcoholism robbed him of many things. Ultimately, his drinking likely caused or contributed to the dementia that emerged after his retirement in 2005 and progressed steadily over time.
Although Eck didn’t know precisely how to express or show love, he felt it sharply and was deeply compassionate. When his wife, Lillian, passed away on Dec. 3, 2024, Eck found the grief too much to bear. Confessing that he thought Lillian to be the last good thing on earth, Eckhard stopped taking meals. He passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of Christmas Day, 2024.
Eck is preceded in death by his parents Arthur Ewald and Helene Prawitt, brothers Reiner and Gert Prawitt, sons Douglas and Arthur Heath Prawitt, and wife Lillian Prawitt. He is survived by sons Alan Pawitt (John Dugan), Ryan Adams (Deana Neff) and Randolph Prawitt (Paul Jenkins); daughter Lori Prawitt; sister Karin Hales; granddaughters Chandra Adams and Chyna Prawitt (Chris Bruno); four great-grandchildren and other friends and family.
Eck requested no funeral or memorial service.
Guestbook/Condolences
Eckhardt and Lillian were our best friends back in the sixties. Eck and I both worked at Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. I was a welder, and Eck was a fork lift operator.