Jill Prattini Klooster passed away on December 7, 2021 at her home in Tampa, Fla. Born on January 22, 1979; she is survived by her loving husband, Robert, her parents Crystal & Kenneth Prattini, and her brother, Jeffrey Prattini (Denise). Also survived by many, special to her, nieces and nephews.
Jill spent most of her childhood raised in River Ridge, attended Kehoe-France school where she was an honors student and very busy with sports, especially swimming. She was on the KF swim team and later taught swimming at KF camp. Sports was a vital part of her life, including a few years of gymnastics but especially soccer. She started working on her soccer skills as early as age 7 and continued to play through adulthood.
At Mt. Carmel Academy, she was involved in many activities including varsity soccer, varsity swimming, and golf. She was busy every day working with the WMCA TV station and Echoes journalism club. She was inducted into the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society and had a poem published in Perspectives Literary Magazine.
Jill graduated from Louisiana State University with a BS degree in mass communication and later earned a master’s degree in leadership communication from Gonzaga University. Jill continued her active lifestyle at LSU, participating in Angel Flight/Silver Wings; Pershing Rifles; and LSU Travel Soccer Club.
Her official military career started with an Air Force ROTC scholarship from LSU and was commissioned as an officer upon graduation in 2002. Then it was “off we go into the wild blue yonder” to experience the world. First stop, unbearably cold, Minot, ND. Next, Baghdad, Iraq. Then, some better places like Hawaii. She met her husband, Bob, while stationed in North Dakota. They married in 2006 and have been experiencing the Air Force together ever since.
As an Air Force Intelligence Officer, her career was exceptional. In addition to performing critical roles while stationed in the US, she also participated in six deployments to the Middle East in support of Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan Operations, including 1,103 flight hours in combat. Jill served her country proudly and was highly decorated for her accomplishments.