Obituary: Birgit Wrede Nielsen Deeds, 1936-2024
Birgit Wrede Nielsen Deeds left us peacefully, at her home, on Thursday, October 24, 2024. Her spirit and love of life will always be with us and inspire us, even as we miss her tremendously.
Birgit was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on July 19, 1936, to Gerda and Tage Nielsen. The young family, including Birgit's sisters, Hanne and Bodil, moved to the U.S. in 1939. They settled in New Canaan, Conn. Birgit rode horses and sailed in the summers in Denmark once the war had ended. She attended St. Anne's School in Charlottesville, Va., and then Wells College in Aurora, N.Y., where she met Cornell student David B. Findlay Jr., also from New Canaan. They married and began raising a family in New Canaan. Birgit finished earning her college degree at New York University, commuting into New York City when she was pregnant with Hal, their first child. In New Cannan, while raising four children, Birgit had good friends and an active social life; volunteered in local schools, bringing art history to less advantaged students; and made her kids eat liver once a week.
In 1971 she met E. Andrew Deeds on the beaches of Small Point, Maine, fell in love and moved to Charlotte, Vt., in January 1972. With a combined 10 children at times, the family downhill skied, cross-country skied, ice boated, traveled, played tennis (Andy's favorite) and roughhoused. Birgit joined the team at Andy's businesses, Air North and Northern Airways, as the human resources officer when the nest emptied.
Birgit and Andy lived an adventurous life that always included friends of all ages, as well as children's friends. They began sailing on Lake Champlain and then took their Palmer Johnson 43, , to Maine, the Caribbean and Scandinavia, where it stayed for many years and saw many ports. They loved to play tennis and ski, which took them from the slopes of Sugarbush to Snowbird, Aspen, Sun Valley, Austria and heli-skiing at CMH in Canada. They also loved taking canoe trips in the Adirondacks and Marshall Lake, Ontario, exposing a variety of kids to Indigenous friends, strenuous paddling, portaging through muskeg, bears, hungry mosquitoes and black flies, and laughter around the campfire at the end of a long day. In summer 1976, they paddled away from Marshall Lake with four teenagers, including Hal, on an epic canoe adventure all the way to James Bay. They flew in Andy's Grumman Widgeon across the country to Alaska and explored the backcountry there. They landed a Beechcraft King Air in the Atlantic when a fuel leak forced them down. A Russian trawler picked them up from their inflatable raft, and they were ultimately brought back to the U.S. by the coast guard.
In 1976 Birgit and Andy visited Pine Cay, a small island in the Turks and Caicos, and soon built a house and spent time there, with friends and family, for many years. In the earlier years, food had to be brought from Florida in coolers, loading up the Widgeon to capacity, and electricity (via generator) was shut off at 10 p.m. every night.
In 1987 Birgit began restoring the Formal Gardens at Shelburne Farms, an endeavor that she devoted much time to for the rest of her years. When there, she enchanted numerous visitors and gardening aficionados.
Birgit was known for her undaunted love of life and her generosity. While she and Andy had many adventures, she loved life on their farm in Charlotte the most, with her dogs, Fjord horses and mini donkeys. Family Christmases and summer gatherings were joyful, and grandchildren were fortunate to share time with their grandparents often.
It is hard to encapsulate a life so full on one page. Everyone she leaves behind will be sure to have all kinds of memories.
Birgit was predeceased by her parents, her two sisters, her former husband, and her husband and partner in adventure and life, Andy. She is survived by her children, Harald "Hal" Beals Findlay (June Tang), Kimberly "Kim" Wrede Findlay, Lee Wrede Findlay Potter (Nick Potter) and Michael Nielsen Findlay (Emily Findlay). She is also survived by her grandchildren, Marshall, Nick and Cassie Findlay; Duncan, Niels and Amelia Davis; Arthur, Lila and Nina Potter; and William Findlay; and great-grandchildren, Eva Grace, Ethan and Olivia Findlay; Cordie Wrede Leonard; and Trip Mahoney.
She had many close friends — you know who you are, and you were so important to her.
