BERNADETTE ROSE (SVAGZDYS) GUDAS

GUDAS, BERNADETTE R., 97, a retired social worker for the State of Rhode Island, passed peacefully surrounded by her loving family, on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at the Village at Waterman Lake in Greenville. She was predeceased by her husband Walter R. Gudas in 1990. Born in Brockton, MA, she was a daughter of the late Joseph M. and Tekla A. (Rynshall) Svagzdys.  

She was the mother of Thomas P. Gudas and his wife Karen of Coventry, David J. Gudas and his wife Pauline of Lewiston, Maine, Carol A. St.Onge and her husband Stephen of West Greenwich, Marilyn L. Gudas and her companion Joan Johnson of Exeter, and the late Dr. Jean M. Gudas. Bernadette was the grandmother of Beth Gudas-Pesenecker, Matthew Gudas, Michael Gudas, Kathryn Cardente, Elizabeth Bennett, and Timothy St. Onge; and great-grandmother of 7. She was the sister of Elizabeth Boland of Hanover, MA, and the late Anne Appleton, Veronica Shimkus, John Svagzdys and Elena Shemeta. Bernadette was the companion of the late Benjamin Chester, Esq.

After graduating from high school, Bernadette earned a Degree in Nursing. She began her career at the Eleanor Slater General Hospital in Cranston, formerly known as the IMH. Bernadette returned to school, graduating from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor’s Degree. Bernadette was credited with facilitating and transitioning many patients into society. Bernadette retired in 1989.

Bernadette loved to travel and visit her cousin in Alaska with her husband Walter, and  she also enjoyed trips to the Falkland Islands, Germany, Spain and Morocco. She traveled with friends to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. She had made several trips to Lithuania, her land of heritage where she still has living relatives and also to Russia with her brother John Svagstyas.  Bernadette was proud of her Lithuanian-American heritage. She was a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother; and a devout Catholic. She was a fierce competitor and unbeatable at playing Scrabble at a professional level, as well as Rummikub. 

Visitation will be on Thursday morning, June 5, 2025, from 9:00 am - 10:15 am in the Iannotti Funeral Home at MAPLE ROOT, 2000 Nooseneck Hill Rd. (Rte.3) Coventry, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11am in St. Vincent de Paul Church. Interment at the RI Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) would be appreciated. iannottifh.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of BERNADETTE ROSE (SVAGZDYS) GUDAS, please visit our floral store.