Helen Pratt Obituary

Helen Niemtzow Pratt, aged 86, passed away on October 12, 2025, in Philadelphia, PA. Born on October 31, 1938, to Abraham and Beatrice Niemtzow, Helen was an architect and a published author. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College and was one of the first women to earn a Master's from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Architecture.

Helen authored several works of historical fiction. Her 2021 autobiography, "Dinner With Eleanor," recounted her dinner with Eleanor Roosevelt, who was a long-time friend of her future mother-in-law, Truda Lash. That evening in 1962, Mrs. Roosevelt gave her blessing to Helen's marriage to Roger Sherman Pratt. Apart from her professional achievements, Helen was known for her keen intellect and love for ancient Greek artifacts and mythology. She enjoyed investing in the stock market, reading, and traveling.

Helen was predeceased by her parents, her brother Richard Niemtzow, and her husband Eli Pritzker. She is survived by her daughters, Suzanne Pratt Davis (Jonathan Davis) and Elizabeth Pratt (David Black); stepchildren, Michael Pritzker (Jennie Kerson Pritzker) and Nina Pritzker Cohen (Scott Cohen); and grandchildren Lily, Nate, Jeremy, Ben, Ava, Alec, Charlotte and Leo.