Judith Ann Sporrang

Judith Ann Sporrong, age 84, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on May 10, 2026, in St. George, Utah. On Mother's Day, she was reunited with her two children and beloved parents she had missed so dearly. She was born on March 3, 1942, in Inglewood, California, to Venice Mary Bell and Ralph Morgan Pratt. Judy was born just months after the attack on Pearl Harbor drew the U.S. into the Second World War; the anxiety of those early wartime days touched even her first days of life. While her mother recovered in the hospital following Judy's delivery, enforced blackouts were in effect each night, and black shades were drawn down over the hospital windows. Early in Judy's childhood, her family moved from Inglewood to Norco, California, where her fondest memories took root. They lived on a ranch in a grape orchard with horses, chickens, and other farm animals, and it became a gathering place for extended family coming in from Los Angeles. Those early years shaped her deep love for the American West, its history, and an aesthetic she carried throughout her life, expressed through a home filled with American Indian art and the imagery of horsemen and cowboys. Judy grew up alongside her two older brothers: Gordon Pratt, the eldest, who was 18 years her senior and training as an Air Force pilot when she was born; and Noel Pratt, eight years older, who became one of her closest confidants through life's most difficult times. Noel's wife Jan was equally dear to Judy, a true friend as much as a sister-in-law. She and Noel leaned on each other for support and loved reminiscing about their idyllic childhood, the Norco years, and their wonderful parents. The family grew further when her cousin Jim Hansen came into her parents' guardianship, and his wife Elaine became like a sister to Judy for the rest of her life. In her adolescence, Judy's father, a contractor, developer, and renaissance man, built a housing development in Riverside, California, complete with a modern home and large pool for family gatherings. Though the move to the city was welcomed by others, Judy always quietly longed to return to the rural simplicity of Norco. After graduating from Ramona High School in Riverside, she attended Riverside Community College before earning a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. It was during a carpool from Riverside to Cal Poly Pomona, where she attended for one quarter, that she met the handsome and charming Swede, Robert Nils Sporrong. They were married on May 1, 1964. In the early years of their marriage, Judy devoted herself to her family as a mother and homemaker to her two oldest sons, Bobby Jon and Darren Lee, moving frequently around Southern California with Bob's work. After the family settled in Redlands, California, she worked for a decade as a junior high school librarian. Following a move to Park City, Utah, she served another decade as an elementary school librarian, retiring from Parley's Park Elementary. After years of snowbirding to Ivins, Utah, she and Bob made their final and beloved home beneath "Big Red" Mountain, where the natural rock relief is said to form the shape of Christ ascending a ledge. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was Judy's guiding light and a source of deep comfort throughout her life. Bob converted to the faith after their marriage, and together they were sealed in the Los Angeles Temple in 1985, just prior to their son Bobby Jon's mission to Fiji. Judy served faithfully in many capacities, including as Relief Society President and as a single adults representative, and she cherished her years as a visiting teacher and as a member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. Judy was a woman of warmth and sweetness. She read music and played the piano for family gatherings. She loved fuzzy socks and outrageous slippers and was a consummate hostess. She was a devoted Elvis fan who saw him in concert shortly before his passing. She delighted in themed décor, with seasons of cows, moose during her Park City years, kokopellis, and the spirit of the 20th-century American West in her final home at Snow Canyon Retirement Community. In the last six years of her life, her greatest joy came from her newest grandchildren, whom she spoiled and adored, spending her days doing craft kits, coloring, making cards, and snuggling on the couch watching movies together. The family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to the staff of Snow Canyon Retirement Community for the exceptional care they provided to both Judy and her husband Bob. A viewing will be held on Friday, May 22, at 9:00 a.m. at the LDS Chapel in Ivins, located at 625 E. Center Street, Ivins, UT 84738. A graveside memorial will follow at 10:00 a.m. at Ivins City Cemetery.

Judith Ann Sporrang

March 3, 1942 - May 10, 2026