Barbara Frances Fisher Pratt, loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully in her sleep in Bradenton, Fla. on Jan. 31. She was 92 years young.
Barbara was born in l914 in Providence, R.I. She graduated from Pembroke College, now part of Brown University, and married Norman (Jim) T. Pratt in 1936. She resided in Princeton, N.J. and Washington, D.C., before moving to Bloomington, Ind. in l946, when her husband joined the Department of Classics at Indiana University (IU).
In the years that followed, Barbara was an organizer and hostess of countless events that brought together the diverse groups, which made up the faculty at IU after the war. She actively participated in campus life as a student, teacher, and librarian, earning her Master’s degree in library science in 1959.
Barbara was the inaugural director of the Halls of Residence Libraries at IU. She was also involved with the music program and Sunday school teaching at the Trinity Episcopal Church and other community-based organizations.
Barbara and Jim traveled widely on sabbaticals at Columbia University, at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece, and on many trips overseas.
After retirement, Barbara and Jim took up residence in Longboat Key, Fla., where they lived happily for 31 years. She taught literature at the Adult Education Center, helped establish the All Angels Church, and was involved with many people and friends throughout her time there.
They summered at her beloved family cottage in Nobleboro for more than 45 years. She felt deeply connected to Maine because of many happy visits there as a child.
Barbara was predeceased by her husband.
She is survived by her children, David Pratt, Martha Rachles and Debbie Maloni; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a niece and two nephews. She was an inspiration to us all.
Memorial service 11 a.m., Sat., March 17 at All Angels by the Sea, 563 Bay Isles Rd., Longboat Key, Fla.
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be sent to The Class of 1936 Memorial Scholarship Fund, Box 1893, Brown University, Providence, R.I., 02912.
