Lillian Edwards Obituary

Lillian Elizabeth Edwards, known to everyone as "Birdie", passed away in Newport on May 26, 2025, at the age of 94. Birdie was predeceased by her devoted husband Jack and is remembered by her children Christopher (Eva Jalava) of Little Compton, RI, John (Claire Watson Edwards) of Merrimack, NH, and Steven of London as well as her grandchildren Meghan, Emily, Jane, Anna, Alexa, Alexander and Lilliana and her great grandchildren Connor, Sophie, Edward and Harrison.



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/