Pete Joseph Prazza, age 73 passed away peacefully at Parkdale Care Center in Price, Utah, on July 28, 2022 of a long illness. He passed away holding the hand of his wife, Ann, the love of his life.
He was born August 30,1948 in Price, Utah. Pete was raised in Helper, Utah, and he was first generation Italian American. His grandparents came over from Southern Italy in around 1909 along with his father. His family were hard-working southern Italian immigrants and he was the oldest of two children of his parents Joe and Dora (Sacco) Prazza. His younger sister, Frances Ann died shortly after birth. Pete was very proud of his Italian heritage and grew up in the small railroad town of Helper with his large extended family, including parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and many beloved cousins and close friends. Pete’s father worked for the Utah State Road Department for many years, and many of the older folks in the community remember his father “Joe” as a masterful mechanic and good friend to all. Pete grew up fishing, playing baseball and hanging out with his many friends and family in Carbon County.
Pete graduated from the College of Eastern Utah and earned his Baccalaureate and Master’s Degrees from the University of Utah. He became a licensed clinical social worker and spent 33 years working as a psychotherapist and educator at the University of Utah Alcohol and Drug Abuse Clinic and at the Haven, a SLC treatment program. He was an amazingly talented therapist in the addiction treatment field, and he inspired countless people in their recoveries over the years. He was a faculty member at the annual U of U Summer School of Alcoholism and other Drug Dependencies for decades, where he helped provide education about addiction treatment to people from all over the country. Pete proudly served on the Utah State Substance Use Disorder Counselor Licensing Board for many years after retirement. Pete loved his “work family” and stayed close to many of them after he retired in 2003.
Pete married the love of his life, Ann Holman in Salt Lake City in 1987, and they were married for 35 years. They enjoyed many happy years together hiking, camping, and exploring beautiful Utah and the Oregon Coast, and spending time with family, friends, and their many dogs cats, and horses. In 2003 Pete retired and they moved to California for a while to be nearer to friends and family and of course the ocean. In 2006 Pete and Ann moved back to Pete’s home town of helper where the couple enjoyed many more years of family, close friends, and Utah Deserts and mountains. Pete never forgot a good friend, wherever he lived and kept up with many good friends in many places. Pete was a kind and very loyal fun-loving man who loved to tease and tell stories. There were lots of big Italian, noisy dinners and card games with the Baughmans, Vias, and the Brunos in Helper and with the “California cousins” from Sacramento. Pete’s Aunt Mary Weiss was a favorite in Helper and she lived to be 102, cooking, gambling and playing cards. He was a talented carpenter, and he was a natural at designing, fixing and building.
Pete was a die-hard University of Utah fan, and he wore his colors to the very end. The staff at the care center lovingly joked that Pete “died with his UTES on”.
Survived by his wife, Ann Holman Prazza, Price; brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Jan Holman, Los Altos, California; nieces, Julia Holman, Andrea (Mark) Holman Barraza; great nephew, Caleb Holman; great niece, Amelia Grace Barazza; special cousin, Bert (Carol) Milano, Salt Lake City; many other wonderful cousins and good friends around the country. Thank you all for your support and friendship.
Preceded in death by his younger sister, Francis Ann; parents; grandparents; aunt, Mary Weiss; cousins, Mel (Paula) Baughman; many other close cousins.
A special thank you to the incredible staff of the Auberge at Aspen Care Memory Care Center in Salt Lake City Utah and Parkdale Care Center in Price, Utah. The staff of each of these facilities were so very kind in caring for Pete and he was a favorite among the staff for his kind and funny nature. Pete you are forever in our hearts.
In lieu of flowers please spend time with your friends and family and share a memory at www.mitchellfuneralhome.net. A memorial service will be held at later date. Arrangements entrusted to Mitchell Funeral Home.