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IN MEMORY

Ruth Schwaiger (Pratt Goodwin) - Class Of 1937

On May 21, 2013, Ruth Pratt Goodwin, 94, died in her sleep at her eldest daughter’s home in Stamford, CT.

Ruth was born in Kenosha in August 1918, the only child of Al and Clara Schwaiger.  She attended Kenosha schools, and graduated from Kenosha High School in 1937.  After high school, Ruth worked in the Book-keeping Department at Simmons Company.

In 1940, she married Ernest Pratt, her high school sweetheart.  Ernest also worked at Simmons and, in 1954, the company transferred them to Dallas.  This was the first of several job transfers and promotions within Simmons Company.  They and their two daughters moved to Mexico, Venezuela, England and France.  In 1972, Ernest was transferred to the New York City headquarters of Simmons Company International.  Their final move with the company before retirement was to Atlanta, when Simmons Company moved their headquarters out of New York City.


In each place they lived, Ruth and Ernest were very active in the local Episcopal Church.  As a young couple in Kenosha, they were among the founding members of St. Andrews Episcopal Church.  Ruth was a member of the Kenosha chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star throughout her adult life.

As they moved to each new place, Ruth excelled at quickly setting up a household for the family and organizing school for her daughters.  She was an excellen planner, and she was always there to provide a welcoming and supportive home for her family and friends.

In 1979, Ruth and Ernie moved to Pinellas Park, FL, after Ernie’s retirement from Simmons.  There they made many good friends.

Ruth is survived by her two daughters, Margaret Cook (Bob) and Mary Horsley (John).  She is also survived by 5 grandchildren:  Robert Cook (Amy), Douglas Cook (Mandi) and Ruth Cook Cummins (Ewan), and Matthew and Laura Horsley.  Ruth’s 6 great-grandchildren are Aidan Cook, Ella, Tali and Brody Cook, and Lauren and Austin Horsley.

She was preceded in death in 1984 by Ernest, her husband of 44 years.  She married Lee Goodwin in 1995, and he pre-deceased her in 1998.

There will be a memorial service for Ruth at 10:00AM on Saturday, August 10, at St. Matthews Episcopal Church (5900 7th Avenue, Kenosha).  Ruth was confirmed at St. Matthews when she was in her teens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 6877, Los Osos, CA 93412, where Ruth’s daughter, Mary, is the Rector Emeritus, or to St. Matthews Episcopal Church, Kenosha, the church Ruth attended in her youth.

Published online at KenoshaNews.com on August 7, 2013