Svanhild M. Pratt

Svanhild M. Pratt of Narragansett, Rhode Island, passed on Saturday, June 14th at South County Hospital peacefully with family by her side after a long and lingering illness.

Svanhild immigrated from Norway at age 5 years old with her mother and four other siblings to join her father, who had come to join his brother a year earlier. Svanhild was married to Jeffrey Pratt for 63 years.

Born in Haugesund, Norway on January 10, 1943, to the late Sverre M. Ludvigsen and Brita O. Ludvigsen. She is survived by her husband Jeffrey and her son Gregory (Bethany) of Wakefield, plus her four siblings: S. Martin Ludvigsen of Wakefield, E. Louis Ludvigsen (Brenda) of Wakefield, Solveig Smith of Charlestown, Mary L. Nelle (Bob) of Wakefield, Debra A. Champlin (Paul) of Narragansett and her loving grandsons William J. Pratt and Andrew G. Pratt of Wakefield.

She is predeceased by her loving sisters Lilly M. Whittier and Hildur A. Pearce and their husbands John Whittier and W. Joseph Pearce, Solveig’s late husband Arthur Smith, and Martin’s dear partner Cindy.

Upon landing in the United States on June 21, 1948, and surviving with her older siblings during the German occupation of Norway, they all lived at Hanson’s boatyard until Hurricane Carol and eventually moved to High Street.

Swanee was a proud graduate of South Kingstown High School class of 1961 and after becoming a naturalized citizen worked for New England Telephone Company. She also then became a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service for 22 years before retiring.

Swanee loved to travel and was able to accompany her husband on several business trips and cruises, etc. She visited San Francisco and wine country, London, England, Lisbon, Portugal, Caracas, Venezuela, and Bermuda.

Swanee was an avid reader, cook, beachgoer, and most of all loved going on antique excursions and shows with her late mother-in-law Dorothy Pratt. She became very knowledgeable and later actually displayed at shows around Southern New England.

She also traveled with her friend Carol Evans on quite a few “Thelma & Louise” trips from Branson, Missouri, to New Orleans and Florida among others.

The family would like to thank the staff at South Kingstown Rehab and Nursing Center and particularly her two angels Raven-Colbert and Madison Proulx who cared for her for sixteen months as if she was their grandmother.

There will be a private family service at 6pm, Monday June 23rd at Avery-Storti Funeral Home. Internment will be at a later date at the discretion of the family.

Please, if you so desire to honor Swanee, donate to: The Harbor Church, 263 Waites Corner Road, West Kingston, RI or Hope Hospice, 1085 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904.