Patricia Bird, 84

CENTER HARBOR — Patricia “Trink” Jenkins Bird, 84, of Center Harbor, died, surrounded by her loving family, on Jan. 22, 2020. A beautiful and sensitive spirit who generously shared her joy in art and nature, she was a longtime resident of Meredith.

Born in January 1936 in Medford, Massachusetts, to Mr. and Mrs. Melvin E. Jenkins Sr., Trink was predeceased by two of her three siblings, her husband, O. Ward Bird Jr., and her twin children, Wendy and William.

She is survived by her children, Meredith Bird Miller and husband Peter, Heather Letarte and husband Henry, Ward Bird and wife Ginny, Melissa Manville and husband Leon, and Jennifer Bird and life-partner Harry Disch.

Class president of her nurses training program at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Patricia was introduced to the love of her life by his mother, who was the hospital’s dietician. After raising her five children in Meredith, she answered the call to return to nursing, becoming an exemplary caregiver in the community. She then achieved recertification as an RN, returning to full-time nursing at Lakes Region General Hospital, providing nurturing care to her patients for 25 years, and making many friends, including close friend Marie Simpson, who supported Trink during her period of declining health.

She had a passionate kinship with nature. She loved hiking and stargazing and sailing her Hobie Cat on the lake. She loved all living creatures, from family pets to the many birds at her feeders, as well as marine flora and fauna. The ocean was her sanctuary, and as “Ocean Grammie” (as she was affectionately called by her grandchildren), she was an inquisitive naturalist with an analytical mind. With her husband, Ward, she introduced her children and grandchildren to camping in Acadia National Park, which inspired her most recent nickname, Oceanna, coined by her great-granddaughter.

Authentic and strong family connections were of utmost importance in her life, and she nurtured genuine love, appreciation, and support for all within her extended family network, including many grandchildren: Danica Letarte Medeiros and her husband, Mark; Forrest Letarte and wife Bridget; Tucker Letarte and life-partner Aspen Couture; Reid Letarte and wife Laura; David Miller and Cat Oreglia; Dylan Miller; Emily Bird and fiancé Jon Gagnon; Ian Bird and Mary Sapack; Aberdeen Bird; William Bird; Tyler Manville and wife Rose; Travis Manville; Nicholas Manville; and Nathan Manville. She took great pride and delight in all of their accomplishments, and in those of her seven great-grandchildren, Natalie, Juliet, Clara, Amelia, Oakley, Lua, and Mabel.

Trink, a compassionate, broad-minded person, had an artistic flair that was cultivated from an early age by visits to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and other cultural venues. She was very accomplished in painting, creatively decorating with shells and stones, and had an extensive collection of handmade miniatures that furnished her dollhouses. In addition, she was talented at knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, and quilting. Trink was a lover of music, from jazz to soundtracks from the great Broadway musicals. Her great sense of humor, curiosity about the world, and warmth will always be with us when we walk the beach, marvel at the night sky, and share the embrace of family around the campfire.

There will be a Celebration of Life on Saturday, May 9, from 2 to 5 p.m., at 30 Manville Road in Center Harbor.

The family is grateful for the visiting nurses’ kindness and professionalism, and requests that donations be made to Central New Hampshire VNA & Hospice, centralvna.org, in lieu of flowers.