Dixie Baird Bird

Dixie J (Baird) Bird of Eastern Washington, 62, passed away on September 30, 2019, at Kadlec Medical Center. Dixie was born in Colfax, WA on April 30, 1957, to Lester and Evelyn Baird. She was their 2nd daughter and a welcome surprise to older parents. She married Walt Bird on February 22, 2000, at 2 pm in the afternoon. He was very much her rock and true love. She always threatened to send him to play in the road, but he’s still here! Dixie is survived by an extensive family. She has 2 sons from her first marriage, an adopted son from Mexico City, and 2 stepsons. Much of her love and affection were always aimed at her grandchildren. Dixie leaves behind nine grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.

Dixie grew up helping out on her family farm in Whitman county. She had a work ethic like no other and very much attributed it to her father. Her mother and close aunt Annie taught her to cook and how to hold a family together. She graduated high school in 1975, and then attended community college in Spokane, gaining an associate’s degree in Horticulture. She married her first husband and lived in Kansas and Germany before settling in Walla Walla Valley. She would never again live anywhere but in her beloved Eastern Washington.

Raising two boys in Walla Walla took up most of her time, but she, like her father, always loved small children. Her nature and size made her a wonderful, caring, and protective mother. You didn’t mess with her cubs. She carried this love and protection on to all of her grandchildren.

Her professional career was extensive! Dixie worked the farm and did harvest early on, with some work at the Colfax drive-in. After getting her degree she worked in various flower shops and traveled often. When the boys were born, she was at home full time with them, and then worked at the Three R’s preschool at the YWCA. She bounced around cleaning dental offices, before working at Holly’s flowers as an original employee when it opened. Later on, her work included Macon Brothers for many years, the Humane Society Thrift Store (there may have been an animal or two dropped off to her that never made it into the actual Humane Society), co-owned Mr. Ed’s Restaurant, and later owned and operated her own flower business Bebop Flower Shop.

There will be a celebratory service for Dixie in Walla Walla this month. For more details, please contact her son Kyle (kylemedutis@yahoo.com).