Richard (Dick) C. Prater, 87, of Salado, TX died on February 10, 2015 surrounded by his family. He was married to Tommye Prater. They resided in Salado. Richard was born in Amarillo, TX on July 15, 1927 to Jane and Carl Prater. He had one older brother, Ted. While growing up in Tyler, TX, Richard made his confession of faith in Jesus as his Lord and Savior on August 2, 1934 at the First Baptist Church.

After graduating from high school at the age of 15, he enrolled at Texas A&M in 1943, was a member of the Corp of Cadets, and had 5 semesters completed prior to enlisting in the Navy in 1945 at the age 17. As a proud American, Richard was eager to serve as a Y-3C yeoman on the Dauphin and Houston naval ships from May 1945-July 1946 and delighted in telling others of his adventures while serving. After his naval service during World War II, Richard graduated (class of ‘47) in January 1950 with a degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M. He was in the Army Corps and later in the Army ROTC program and stayed in the reserves for 16 years as a Captain.

After graduation, Richard began his career in the concrete ready-mix business in Ft. Worth, TX. One of his greatest accomplishments was his first concrete plant, which he named Prater Concrete. In 1966 he sold Prater Concrete and purchased Cen-Tex Ready Mix in Temple and Killeen. That business flourished under his direction. He sold it in 1976, but remained with Cen-Tex Ready Mix for 7 years until he purchased Rockdale Ready Mix and subsequently moved to Rockdale. After selling that plant in 1995, he started Belcrete Concrete Company in Belton, which he still owned and operated.

Golf was one of Richard’s favorite sports. He was admired for his competitive spirit and played very competitively until just a few short years ago. Richard also had a love of flying and was an instrument rated pilot. Through the years, he enjoyed the beauty and relaxation of flying as well as using his planes to help others when called upon. Richard was an “Aggie of Aggies”. He loved Texas A&M. He was a founding member of the Letterman’s Association while lettering in Diving. As a true 12th man, Richard proudly held season tickets for A&M games and couldn’t sing the song “The Spirit of Aggieland” without tearing up. Richard was very involved in community affairs in Temple serving on the Industrial Foundation, Chamber of Commerce President, City Commissioner and Mayor Pro-Tem. In Rockdale he served in various capacities at Rockdale Country Club. In Salado, Richard was active on the Planning and Zoning Committee.

Among God’s creations, Richard loved his pets and cared for them tenderly. In his own words, a great day was waking up. He had a fabulous sense of humor, loved to laugh, share his stories, and help those in need. Because of his contagious smile, to his grandchildren and family, he was known as “Grindaddy” or “Grin”. Richard and his wife, Tommye, were members at Salado United Methodist Church.

Richard is survived by his wife, Tommye A. Prater. He has 5 children, Betty (Mike) McMillioan, Ron Prater, Trish (Craig) Sebek, David (Anetha) Prater and Kathy (Steve) Hawkins and 2 stepchildren, Courtney (Milan) Urukalo and Mike Rutledge. Richard is also survived by 11 grandchildren and spouses, and 16 great-grandchildren as well as nieces and nephews. Richard is preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Jane Prater and brother Ted Prater. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Salado United Methodist Church.