BARBARA OLIVE STRYKER PRATT

PRATT, BARBARA OLIVE STRYKER WALLINGFORD - Barbara Olive Stryker Pratt, 88, passed away on July 26, 2015 at the Masonicare Health Center in Wallingford. She was the beloved wife of the late Jewett F. Schrumm. Her first husband of 46 years was the late Charles Oliver Pratt of Ashlar Village, formerly of Orange, CT. Barbara is survived by her three sons: Thomas W. Pratt of New York, NY, David C. Pratt of Stonington, CT, and Lee S. Pratt of Dedham, MA; also by four grandchildren, Josette Pratt, Andrew Pratt, Hannah Pratt, and Caroline Pratt. She was born in White Plains, NY and attended Battle Hill Elementary and Junior High School from which she was Valedictorian. She went to White Plains High School and Cornell University from which she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. Later she attended the Yale University School of Nursing graduate program for 3 years, earning a Master’s degree as well as an R.N. Barbara was the first three-year representative from the Yale School of Nursing to the Association of Yale Alumni when it was founded, serving on the committee for the arts. From childhood on, Barbara sang in choirs and choral groups, most recently in the Wallingford Chorus, and for many years in the choir of the First Congregational Church of Wallingford. Prior to that, she was an active member of the Orange Congregational Church where she served in several capacities including Deacon, and sang in the choir for 26 years. Accompanying her husband, Charles, she lived in Towson, MD, Columbia, SC, and Rockville, MD, before returning to CT. She was active in the League of Women Voters and Planned Parenthood as a volunteer, returning to school briefly at Johns Hopkins University, Goucher College, and Montgomery General Hospital before becoming a public health nurse in Montgomery County, MD. Upon returning to CT, she developed and taught the Nursing Assistant Program at West Haven High School for 13 years. Her last years before retirement were spent as a genetics counselor in prenatal diagnosis at the Yale School of Medicine. Having always wished for a theatrical career, in 1974 she joined the Orange Players as a charter member and had a successful career for 20 years acting in community theatre productions in Orange, West Haven, New Haven, Branford, and Stratford, CT. She was also a member of Alpha Phi fraternity, the Retired Teachers Association of CT, and the Stratford Library Book Discussion group for many years. An avid reader and gardener, she also led a bi-monthly caregivers and bereavement support group at Ashlar Village in Wallingford. A memorial service will be held at the First Congregational Church, 23 South Main St., Wallingford, on Thursday July 30, 2015 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Ashlar Village Grants and Aid Fund, PO Box 70, Wallingford, CT 06492. The B.C. Bailey Funeral Home of Wallingford has been entrusted with arrangements. To leave a message of remembrance, please visit www.BCBailey.com.