Madeline (Murphy) Pratt

NORWAY – Madeline (Murphy) Pratt, 99, died peacefully on Monday, March 8, 2021, at her home overlooking Norway’s Main Street. Born on Jan. 18, 1922, to the late Charles and Vira (McAllister) Murphy of Stoneham, she learned frugality from a young age during the Great Depression. As a teenager, she worked as domestic help to earn her room and board and graduated from Norway High School in 1940. She met Richard Pratt, who was the brother of her friend Mildred, and they married in 1941.

Madeline was a woman ahead of her time working outside the home while raising her family. During World War II, she began working at B.E. Cole Shoe Shop. She was proud of the fact that management asked her to use a machine reserved for men. Never satisfied with token achievements, she then successfully negotiated equal pay.

She came into her own as a local landlord, purchasing and renovating apartments and rooming houses in Norway for 50 years. She was a firm believer that everyone should have access to affordable housing. Generous to a fault, she rarely turned anyone away that was in need.

Outside of work, that same generosity extended to her family and community. Christmas was her favorite holiday, and she hosted an annual Christmas Eve party for her family showering them with practical gifts. She worked tirelessly for the Democratic Party and was instrumental in getting out the vote in Oxford county. She enjoyed hunting, harness racing, playing cards, crocheting, and supporting her children’s musical aspirations. She and her husband Dick opened the “Falcon Hall” where they held weekly dances. She credited her longevity to clean living, often stating that it was because she never smoked or drank.

Madeline was predeceased by her husband, her parents, her daughter, Beverly Kimball, a grandson, Christopher Fitch, her five sisters and two brothers.

She leaves to cherish her memory, her daughter, Vira Micklon, son, Oramell “Scrapper” Pratt; her grandchildren, Richard Moody, Merlin “Larry” Moody, Madeleine “Jane” Munn and her husband Kerry, Kevin Pratt and his wife Allie, Kenneth Pratt and his wife Melissa; her 12 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandkids.

Following Madeline’s wishes, all services are at the convenience of the family and a springtime burial will take place at Riverside Cemetery in South Paris.