Obituary of Doris R. Bird

It was the 19th day of February 2023, that our mom, Doris R Bird, 90, became absent from her body to be present with the Lord. Our mom was born November 8th, 1932 in the little town of New Albany, PA to the late Walter H. and Ula G. Robinson. Our father and also her sister, Eleanor Dibble predeceased her. She is survived by a brother Ronald Robinson, New Albany, PA and his sweet wife Carolyn and their children Lisa (Warren) Howler and Bryan (Kim) Robinson. At the young age of 21, Mom married her first love, William A. Bird of Overton, PA. Mom and Dad were blessed with us three kids. Ricky, Walt and I – Suzie. She loved all her grandchildren and great grandchildren and would light up whenever they visited. It was the highlight of her life. They brought her so much joy. She is survived by her children, grandchildren and great grandkids. Richard & his wife Virginia, Mt. Kisco, NY and their two kids - William (Emily) Bird, Lianne (Matthew Schroth) Bird, both of Pittsburgh, PA; Walter and his wife Shawn Bird , Marcellus, NY and their two kids and granddaughter; Geena Bird (Nick Masterpol III) Portland, Maine and their sweet little daughter Nova, Jamie (Corrine Burns) Bird, Maryland; Suzette and her husband Jack Hayes, Guilford, NY and their children and grandkids, Eric Loitsch and his partner Ashley Lunt, Rochester; and his kids Luke, Sawyer, Gianna, Mila and Ashley's son Caiden; Andrea (Noel) Card, Syracuse; Michael (Chelsea) Loitsch, Lake Luzerne, NY and their kids Lucy and Cedar; Jenna (Brooks) Buttice, Bainbridge, NY and their kids Hadley, Emmy, Brandt, Brady; and Brett (Laurel) Hayes, Brooklyn, NY. If you knew our mom, you knew that she certainly had her ways about her. She was a very strong woman. She liked things "just so". You also knew that you should save every single bread tie, wash out your plastic baggies, hang out your clothes to dry, always separate whites from darks and save every box and be sure to label them "empty box". You might need one! We picked on her mercifully for these things, but also loved all of it, just the same. She was a quirky and feisty little thing who could make the meanest pie crust and even spoke of it to me on the day she passed. She loved to win at pitch and was a bit upset if she happened to lose. She spent many hours of her life picking blueberries from her bushes. And we all suffered because of it…. Painstakingly searching each and every berry for worms and spiders. Oh, how we hated to see her hand us a little white berry bucket, but we reaped the benefits as she would send home berries with us. All these things were her sign of love to us all. If you were one of her local grandkids, you got to mow the lawn, even if she did walk right behind the tractor directing you on every turn in the yard. She was very particular! For the past 5 years Mom was cared for by many sweet, caring and giving caretakers at her home. She may not have showed her gratitude for these special women, but she spoke of them with much appreciation and love during her final days. We all appreciate all the caring that each and every one provided to our mom. There is one caretaker in particular, Kim Gray, who visited her every week and sat with her from the beginning to the very end and made moms days and mine in the Vets home a bit more pleasant. We can't thank her enough. She has two very special friends who have been with her for years and years. They tried to make her last year's even more special and supported. She loved these two ladies with all her heart – Nancy Brubaker, lifelong neighbor who could always bring a smile and sunshine to any gathering and Dorothy (Dotty) Radley – her lifelong friend from late teen years. She had always supported our mom and family. Her and dad even shared an apartment with Don & Dotty Radley as newlyweds to help save on expenses. Oh, the laughter that could be heard during a card game or picnic from these two. We also love them very much. She was moved into the NYS Veterans home in Oxford, NY in October 2022. She was not necessarily happy there, but many nurses and residents spoke of her spunkiness and her ability to be direct and forthright. And if you knew her, her signature parting phrase on the phone was 'okay, bye bye now" – especially if I uttered those 3 words- I love you. She had a hard time expressing love, but more recently able to tell us all that she loved us, and we knew it was there. We could see it in her eyes. It has become a tradition for us to say, "I love you", always followed by "okay, bye, bye now" and it makes us laugh and smile. Please take a few moments to hug your loved ones today. Life goes too quick these days. And find the joy in all you do for life is short. We will be having a celebration of life for mom at a later date. We love you all. Okay, Bye Bye now.