Obituary of Virginia Jayne Bird

Dr. Virginia Jayne Bird of Wilton, Connecticut and New York City passed away Saturday, December 1, 2012 at Essex Meadows, Connecticut, surrounded by her children and members of her family. Born in 1930 to Lucille Francis and David Jayne, a biochemist, she was the eldest of three children. Virginia grew up in Old Greenwich, Connecticut and graduated from The College of New Rochelle in 1951, after which she began a career as a social worker. Thereafter, she met and fell in love with a young banker named Robert Bird and they were married in Stamford, Connecticut, eventually adding five children to the Bird household. The family moved abroad to England in 1968, where the young Americans enjoyed the cosmopolitan pleasures of late 60's era London. It was here that Virginia experienced a renaissance of interest in elements of her earlier social work. She began the individual therapy that would lead her to the Jung institute in Zurich, Switzerland, and to her lifelong career as a Jungian Psychoanalyst. After the family moved back to the United States from Europe in the mid 1970's, Virginia continued her studies at the Jung Institute in New York City and established a practice in Manhattan, the better to be close to her beloved Metropolitan Opera House and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dr. Bird was a vital member of the Jungian community and a compassionate healer to many over the course of over 30 years in the profession. In the later 1970's, Virginia established a home in Wilton, Connecticut, which became a much-loved homestead and destination for not only members of the family, but scores of friends and colleagues who were drawn to the welcoming atmosphere Virginia created - as well as her way around the kitchen. Many of these sojourners also sought her out at one time or another for her gentle wisdom and good counsel. Virginia was known to be a woman of uncommon sensitivity and intelligence as well as a person of rare warmth, generosity and deep feeling – gifts she gave freely to all of those lucky enough to know her. She was predeceased in 1978, by her beloved brother David Jayne, a senior producer for ABC news at the time of his untimely death, and her ex-husband Robert Bird, with whom she remained a close friend until his passing in 2002. Along with her nine grandchildren, Dr. Bird is survived by her loving sister Alison Nichols, her nine grandchildren, and her five children, Robert Bird, Lara Kalt, Christopher Bird, Pennel Bird and Cameron Bird, all of whom miss their beautiful mother. A memorial service in memory of Dr. Virginia Bird will be held at The Unitarian Church in Westport, Connecticut on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 2:00 PM.