Priscilla 'Polly' L. (Pratt) Briggs

RUTLAND – Priscilla “Polly” L. (Pratt) Briggs, 89, formerly of Highland Park Road, died peacefully on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 under the loving care of her family and the staff at the Lutheran Healthcare Center in Worcester. Her loving husband of 65 years, Loring G. Briggs, passed away Friday, April 27, 2012.



She is survived and will be dearly missed by a son, Steven P. Briggs and his wife June of Kittery, Maine; two daughters, Barbara P. Ball and her husband Michael of Rutland and Melissa Briggs-Lefferts and her husband Ned of Palmer; five grandchildren, Jeffrey D. and Andrew B. Ball, Cassidy T. Lefferts, Kate Pfirman and Emilie Sommer-Sandifer; four great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. A brother, Arnold T. Pratt, predeceased her.



Priscilla was born in Worcester, the daughter of Ward E. and Helen (Tyler) Pratt and graduated from Classical High School and Becker Business College in Worcester. During World War II she was very active in the U.S.O. She volunteered two or three nights a week at Fort Devens as a U.S.O. hostess. Besides dancing with the soldiers, she also played the piano. Later, she visited the injured servicemen who were bedridden at Cushing General and Lovell General Hospitals and also wrote letters home to their families, dictated by the soldiers. Before her marriage to Loring, she was a life insurance underwriter at Paul Revere Insurance Company.



She was a member of Tatnuck Congregational Church, known as the First Congregational Church of Worcester until she moved to Rutland 65 years ago. She was an active member of the First Congregational Church of Rutland including the Monday Club, church historian, assistant organist for ten years, sang in the choir for 22 years and for a few years directed and played for the junior choir. Recently she directed and played piano for the Church’s Cherub Choir. In 1961 she founded the Rutland Players Club and directed plays for twenty one years. She wrote and directed two musicals held at Naquag Elementary School auditorium and was the accompanist for the school’s glee club for seven years. She was a member of the Rutland Historical Society.



Priscilla was a direct descendant of the Mayflower and in 1978 to 1980 she wrote a well documented genealogy book called “Phinehas Pratt and His Descendants” about the Pratt family going back to the 1500’s. Her book is in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC as well as many other libraries in the country including the Rutland town library. In 1998 she received the “Award of Harmony” at Mechanics Hall presented by the Worcester Men of Song in appreciation of her efforts to make our world a place of harmony.



A memorial service celebrating the lives of Priscilla and Loring Briggs will be held at 11a.m. on Thursday, May 3, at the First Congregational Church of Rutland, 264 Main Street (Rte. 122A), Rutland. The Rev. Robyn Burns will be officiating. A committal service will be held at a later date at Rural Cemetery in Rutland. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the First Congregational Church of Rutland Organ Fund, P.O. Box 484, Rutland, MA 01543.



To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit: www.milesfuneralhome.com