Hildegarde deVermandois (Brewster) Bird

Hildegarde deVermandois Brewster Bird
B. Saturday, August 24, 1935
D. Thursday, May 27, 2021

Hildegarde deVermandois Brewster Bird was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on St. Bartholomew's Day, Saturday, August 24, 1935, and departed an eclectically full and vibrant life on Thursday, May 27, 2021. An extraordinary wife, mother, sister, daughter, grandmother, and friend to all of God's creatures, our original tiny dancer, was surrounded by her loving family as she joined the love of her life, Henry, in the Lord's House. Hilde lived a life of great humility and died peacefully.

The second of six children, Hilde was part of a deeply rooted New England family. Her father, the Reverend William Brewster was an Episcopal priest and Headmaster of Episcopal Schools, and her mother, Elizabeth Bosley Brewster, an artist. She is survived by her older brother, Will Brewster; younger sister, Stella Brewster Hall; and younger brother, Fred Brewster. She was preceded in passing by younger brothers, Peter and Ben Brewster. Multiple nieces and nephews join in our grief and celebrating her life.

Early childhood included education at Belmont Hill in Belmont, Massachusetts, and living in and outside Boston (Southborough, Mass. at St. Mark's where her father was Headmaster), and summers at their cottage on Gerrish, Is., Maine. When her father responded to the call from John Hines, then-coadjutor of the Bishop of Texas and later, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States, to become the Founding Headmaster of St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, the first Episcopal coeducational boarding school in the country, Hildegarde joined the ranks of the few, but brave "Pioneer Spartans" in the hill country. The school opened its doors in 1950.

Hilde was a tour de force for the family and the school. She had a direct hand in selecting the school's early and lasting traditions, such as their colors, the school mascot -the Spartans- and its motto "Nisi Dominus Frustra," Unless the Lord builds the house, their labor is in vain who build it.... Her energy, creativity, and ability to make connections and meaningful relationships rippled through this courageous community as it had with each of her stops before and after. Her father passed at the age of 46, in 1953, leaving her mother to raise six children.

Following her graduation from high school in 1953, Hilde attended Simmons College in Boston, to pursue studies toward Nursing. It was there during her first year in college, when attending Church one Sunday, she drew the attention of a young Preacher, Seminarian, Henry L. Bird. As he prepared to deliver the Sermon, he looked up and saw this lovely young lady seated in one of the pews, and, in his words, "A ray of light shone on this dish..." His words for a stunning beauty. Such an impression was made that day, they were married less than a year later on, Monday, June 14, 1954; both became the other's north star.

Hilde put her studies on hold at this time in support of her husband's ministry, which took them from founding St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Bedford, Massachusetts, and service to Grace Episcopal Church in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts; family life in Cundy's Harbor, and Orono; ministries in Blue Hill and Stonington, Maine; and in a major shift, leaving her puritanical New England to elevate communities in Farmington, Socorro, Albuquerque, and many places in between.

She took to heart, the words attributed to St. Francis, "Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words." Seeking and serving Christ in all persons was not something Hilde and Henry considered on the side; it was an everyday experience for them. Their journey together included significant mission work in and among indigenous peoples from the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot in Maine to the Navajo in New Mexico, and significant support for Civil Rights for all in between. Hilde's strength of character, sense of fairness, amazing resourcefulness, genuine hospitality, grace, and sheer joy in the fullness of life shone brightly wherever they went, especially when life became tough.

Somehow along the way, she bore and raised a lively nest of her own children: William Brewster, Holloway Lonsdale, Thaddeus Bartholomew, Paul Barnabas, and Anna-Sarah Love.

Hilde took the strain of many moves in and out of so many different communities in stride, always seeking the sunny side of life. Whether it was a staid lifestyle of Martha's Vineyard to the hard-scrabble fishing village of Cundy's Harbor or rough-hewn, high-desert San Juan Mission, Hilde's light shone through. While supporting Henry's varied ministry, she completed two degrees in education focusing on children with special needs. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maine, in Orono, and a master's degree from the University of New Mexico.

A true Renaissance woman, Hilde was a servant, scholar, artist, and die-hard, church-going athlete. A lifelong Episcopalian, she rarely missed a Sunday service or Wednesday potluck following Evensong; nobody could compete with her pew Olympics. Her contributions to those meals and conversations are legendary, such as taking one apple and a pile of zucchini, pouring the blend into a crust, and convincing those present it was an apple pie. Only Hilde could sell that story.

Hilde was a voracious reader and instilled her love for exploring the Good Book, OZ, Narnia, the world of Jane Eyre, pirates, every fairy tale imagined, and the great outdoors in her children. A natural born teacher, she had a unique gift to turn the mundane into something remarkable. Every day.

In high school, she ran track and played whatever seasonal sport was available (once holding her high school's record for the standing broad jump; in her words, "I was the only one competing" :) ). She loved to swim and ensured her children knew the same.

She played the violin with unadulterated joy and enthusiasm, and late in life, was a Founding Member and the elder stateswoman of the violin section in Midcoast Symphony Orchestra in Brunswick, Maine. Hilde hailed from a family of well-known artists, and took up the pad, pastels, pencils, and paints on many occasions to sketch and portray family members and landscapes from Maine to New Mexico, and everywhere in-between.

Hilde energized every room she entered, could not wait for the next party and was often the first and last on the dance floor. She was a gifted storyteller, and family and friends were drawn to her ability to ensure there was a least a small nugget of truth to what she shared. The best stories, after all, are full of color and life, as was she. Hilde complemented her husband's stoicism and reverence, with loving and humorous irreverence. As much as Henry was admired for his courage and faith, so too was she, with unmatched vibrancy. Hilde was always present in the moment, and people loved being around her, not sure what to expect next. She made Henry and all around her better.

She was a devout Rector's wife, serving each community with passion and compassion, even and especially when the couple had few resources to support their own family. Inclusive long before it became a movement, Hilde and Henry welcomed a steady flow of diverse foster adolescents into the mix of their original five.

She is survived by her five children, their spouses, and nine grandchildren. Son, William Brewster Bird of Socorro, NM and his children, Peter Brewster Bird and Jamie Paul Bird; daughter, Holloway Lonsdale Bird-Barreras and her husband, Marcus Barreras of Albuquerque, NM and their children, William Asher Barreras, Leah Lonsdale Barreras, Ben-Henry Barreras; son, Thaddeus Bartholomew Bird and his wife, Patty Rennie Bird of Fort Worth, TX and their children, Elizabeth Rennie Bird, Holloway Scott Bird, Andrew Patterson Bird; son, Paul Barnabas Bird of Albuquerque, NM; daughter, Anna-Sarah Love Bird of Newburgh, NY and her daughter Makayla Hildegarde Mueller.

Services to be determined. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to St. Stephen's Episcopal School of Austin, TX, attention Scholarship Assistance; the Rector's discretionary fund at St. Mark's-on-the-Mesa Episcopal Church, Albuquerque, NM; or the St. Joseph's Scholarship Fund at All Saints' Episcopal School in Fort Worth, TX.