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Lillian Edwards Obituary
Birdie was born in New York on June 18, 1930, to Michael O'Dowd and Katherine O'Dowd (Byrne). She earned a bachelor's degree from Hunter College and a masters degree in reading education from the University of Hartford. Birdie used her education as a classroom teacher and then as a specialized reading teacher from the 1950s until the late 1980s.
Birdie's passion for helping young people extended well past the classroom and was combined with her love for music, writing and the visual arts. She founded and led until this year Up with School Arts, a non-profit dedicated to promoting art programs in the schools of eastern Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. Her efforts touched the lives of thousands of student artists in the area.
When not mentoring and supporting young people, Birdie could be found walking the countryside around her beloved Quicksand Pond home, gardening with gusto, or working to improve her skills in tennis and golf at the Acoaxet Club.
Birdie was a beyond energetic presence in every community in which she found herself. She was funny, charming, vivacious and a loyal friend to all who were fortunate to know her. She will be missed but never forgotten.
A funeral mass will be held for Birdie in Little Compton at Saint Catherine of Siena church on July 28th at 10:00am
Donations in her memory may be made to Up With School Arts, P.O. Box 204, Little Compton, RI 02837 (https://www.upwithschoolarts.org/
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Lillian Edwards
2 Entries
Francine Desilets
August 12, 2025
Sincere condolences to Birdie´s family. I worked with her in Up With School Arts at its beginning and would sometimes run into her at St Catherine´s. She was such a lovely lady who shared a birthday with my own dear mom who also passed away this year at 97 years of age. May she rest in peace and her memories sustain the family...
Cecilia Felix
July 22, 2025
Prayerful sympathy to Birdie´s family and friends. Birdie was truly an advocate for the children. She was very supportive of Holy Family Holy Name School under my administration. She is a treasured friend even after my retirement I continued to speak and be in contact with her. May she rest in the arms of Our Lord and sing and dance with the angels!
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