 |
Lilian Mary Watson Bird
|
Artist.
Born at Winnipeg on 5 May 1914, one of three children of English immigrants Maud Ethel Kent (c1882-1960) and Frank Edward Watson (?-?), her family lived at 111 Bannerman Avenue until 1920 when they moved to a home on Dearborn Avenue and she attended Lord Selkirk School. In 1928, they moved to Polson Avenue. At age 14 the family moved to Polson Avenue. She attended St. John's High School and took one year of schooling at St. John's College. She belonged to the Baptist Church DWYC (Do What You Can) group that did good deeds and donated what they earned to the church.
In 1936, she graduated from the Winnipeg School of Art, where she had studied under Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald, then she taught children's art classes for three years at the Winnipeg Art Gallery under the direction of Alexander Johnston Musgrove. She was then employed in the fashion art department of Brigdens of Winnipeg from 1939 to 1959. In the latter year, she married naturalist Ralph Durham Bird and worked as a freelance artist. For several years, she exhibited landscapes in watercolor with the Manitoba Society of Artists and has paintings in a number of private collections.
She and her husband retired to Salt Spring Island, British Columbia and, after his death, she moved to Victoria in 1974. She attended the University of Victoria and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (1978). She joined the University Women's Club of Victoria, becoming active with its genealogical research group and was interested in keeping records on a personal computer and exchanging information with her stepson Charles. She made detailed records of her husband's photograph collection which she assisted in creating after 1959.
She died at Victoria, British Columbia on 5 December 1996.
Birth registration [Lilian Mary Watson], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary [Maud Ethel Watson], Winnipeg Free Press, 6 June 1960, page 15.
Death registration [Lilian Mary Bird], British Columbia Vital Statistics.
This page was prepared by Charles Bird and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 4 November 2024
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
