Evelyn Baird, 91
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Evelyn Baird, 91, died Thursday, April 22, 2010, at Sweet Brook Care Centers.
Born in New York City on Feb. 13, 1919, the only child of Louis and Jessica Lloyd McCord, she graduated from Rye High School in New York. Prior to moving to Williamstown, she resided at The Glen at Hiland Meadows retirement home in Queensbury, N.Y.
Mrs. Baird and her husband, the late Henry Pearsall "Hank" Baird, left the city to purchase and operate a farm in the Hudson Valley, something she described as a "Great Adventure." She and her husband embraced the challenge of farming while striving to respect the land and enrich the lives of those they encountered. Prior to her marriage, she had worked at Fraser Paper Industries, 152 Madison Ave., in New York City.
Lovingly named "Honey" by her grandchildren, she felt her family was her most outstanding asset and never ceased to remind them of the value of love in a family. She would often be the prize in competitions between grandchildren. Gracious and refined, she had a unique style that many admired, said family, and her friendly demeanor was one of her most charming attributes. She believed in the power of positive thinking and that God had a plan for us. She often recalled a happy childhood with close cousins and treasured memories of her youth activities at Rye Presbyterian Church.
Her husband, whom she married Jan. 8, 1944, died Feb. 2, 1996.
She leaves a son, Henry Wynn Baird; two daughters, Carolyn Umlauf and her husband, John, of Williamstown and Gail Solomon and her husband, Joel, of Queensbury, six grandchildren and a great-grandchild born in March.
A sister-in-law, Frances Baird, died April 12.
FUNERAL NOTICE — A memorial service for Mrs. Baird will be held at a later date at the convenience of the family. Donations may be made in her name to High Peaks Hospice or Harrisena Community Church, 1616 Ridge Road, Queensbury, N.Y., or through Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, West Chapels, 521 West Main St., North Adams, MA 01247.