Loredana Pollonio Lister, 73, passed away peacefully at her home on Monday May 25, 2026 with family members at her side. Born in Udine, Italy 3 July 1952, she was the beloved wife of Stephen B. Lister of  Barrington, RI .

 Loredana’s destiny was determined at an early age. At home she watched American sitcoms like Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best and quickly noted how the American husbands helped their wives – washing dishes and cleaning the house. Such activities were never seen in her home. Her fate was sealed as was Steve’s although they didn’t know it at that time.

 Loredana excelled at school and had high aspirations at an early age. In kindergarden she aspired to be the “bidella” – the lady who rings the bell at school recess to call the kids back to class – because of the power she had. At 17 she told her parents she wanted to transfer to a specialized high school on Lake Garda where she could start to learn foreign languages and get a foundation in tourism and hotel management.    

 After high school she spent 6 months in Germany waitressing in a hotel followed by a similar period in England to improve her English. When everything was said and done she spoke Italian, German and English fluently and was comfortable conversing in French and Spanish.   

 Steve and Loredana met at a chain production company in the Julian Alps in 1974, at Weissenfels Spa founded in the 18th century.  In 1976 they got married and flew to NYC to open an American subsidiary of this Italian company. Quite a change from a small mountain town of a few hundred people to mid-town Manhattan.

 Loredana combined full working days with night school at NYU. Not challenged sufficiently she applied to and was accepted at Columbia University. She then concentrated on her education until she graduated with a B.A. in 1982.

 Along the way she and her husband purchased the subsidiary of the Italian company, moving the new company to Portsmouth, Rhode Island where they also bought 2 commercial buildings which Loredana managed.

 In 2016 she retired with her husband dedicating their time to travel, gardening and building a new home in Barrington.

 She is survived by her husband Stephen Lister of Barrington, RI, her sisters Raffaella and Chiara Pollonio of Udine, Italy, her sister-in-law Susan Weeden and her nephew Stephen Weeden of Frisco, Texas and her niece, Erica Querzola of Barcelona, Spain.

 A private burial will be held June 13, 2026 followed by a memorial service at St. John’s Episcopal church in Barrington,RI..