Octavio C. "Tacky" Pragana, 93, of Wareham passed away at Tobey Hospital on Friday, March 15, 2019 with his wife by his side. He was the husband of Janice (Ledoux) Pragana, who he was with for 39 years and married in 2010.
He was born in New Bedford, son of the late Joaquim and Beatriz (Cereja) Pragana . His loyalty to his country was already evident at a young age, when in October of 1943, at the age of 17, he joined the Navy. He served in both World War II and the Korean War. He was a proud member of the USS Canberra during WWII, where he was a First Top Loader on a 40mm and was one of the lucky survivors on board when his ship was torpedoed on October 13, 1944. He received many medals. He then joined the New Bedford Police Department in December of 1959. He worked as a Patrolman, was in both Day and Night Detectives and even worked as a Firearms Instructor before going back on the streets. He retired in 1988 as a Patrolman. As if that wasn't enough, while he was still on the police force, he joined the Coast Guard in 1982 and was still a member today.
Family is very important to Tacky and he would go above and beyond for them. He is survived by his wife Janice; a son, Wayne and his wife Kathy; a daughter, Debra Kosboski and her husband, David; a stepson, Patrick Souza and his wife Cheryl; a stepdaughter, Michelle Lee and her husband Tim; 7 grandchildren; and 4 great-granchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Dolores (Seniow) Pragana.
Tacky was an amazing man who, at the age of 92, could still be found hanging out at the New Bedford Police headquarters, catching up with old and new friends. He spent his days visiting many of his friends at the Police Stations, but his home was Station 3, where he could be found working out daily in the gym that was named after him. He always called his fellow officers his "brothers from another mother." His dedication to serving others knows no bounds and it is clear that Tacky was a man set apart from the rest. In addition to visiting his friends at the police stations, he also went every morning for years to visit his friends at Neighborhood Auto Service Station.
His Funeral will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 10 AM from the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford, followed by his Funeral Mass at St. Joseph-St. Therese Church at 11 AM. Burial will be in Pine Grove Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Monday from 4-8 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations in Tacky's memory can be made to Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114 or St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. For directions and guestbook, visit www.saundersdwyer.com.