Dr. Evelyn Isabelle BIRD

After 92 years of an active life, Evelyn ran out of "Bird Bounces" and passed away Tuesday June 23, 2020 at home. Evelyn was a model of 'proper' deportment; she never smoked, drank, swore, lied, gambled, couldn't tell jokes and wasn't a chocoholic. She was born in Quill Lake, Saskatchewan but spent her formative years in Edmonton. She was competitive in sports with speed skating dominating her youth through multi-sports in University to her badminton days in her 80's, when hip surgery sadly curtailed her movement. Evelyn's life was based around her education/ teaching jobs in Alberta, British Columbia, Minnesota and lastly as a professor in Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph for 24 years. Her hobbies (stamp collecting, bird watching, archeology and local history), her world travels, and her church (historian/play writer and Tru Ki Lo member at Dublin United) kept her happily occupied. She leaves behind a labour of love in her book Barns and Coach Houses of Guelph, the ongoing Stress Management and High-Performance Clinic which she founded at the U of Guelph, and the archeological artifacts so carefully catalogued in labs in Tucson, Arizona and Calgary Alberta. The stable home she provided is left behind with hurting hearts in her two o'clock cat nap partner, Asia, and her family partner Sue. She will be missed by her family from Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan. She leaves her sister Phyllis, nieces and nephews, Pat, Carol, Susan, and Peter and their families with whom she shared her love of the Rockies. We would like to thank Shim and Liz who cared for her in her last year and Dr Stevenson who provided care across years. The LIHN, Liz and nurses from Paramed and Bayshore provided compassionate, professional palliative care that allowed Evelyn to remain home until her next journey. Cremations has taken place and a celebration of life will take place at a later date. Arrangements entrusted to the WALL-CUSTANCE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 519-822-0051 or wallcustance.com - Condolences can be sent to the family via the funeral home website below Evelyn's notice. In lieu of flowers, if desired, contributions can be made to Dublin United Church or her scholarship at the U of Guelph (www.uoguelph.ca/giving, write in option "Dr. Evelyn Bird Prize") or a charity of your choice. A tree will be planted in memory of Evelyn I. Bird in the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest, University of Guelph Arboretum.