Blitch Ann Bird

Blitch Ann Bird, 73, passed away Thursday, April 8, 2021, surrounded by family and friends at Cedar Plantation in Metter, Georgia. She was born December 31, 1947, in Metter, Georgia to the late Joe Maxwell and Jessie Byrd Daniel Bird. There was a New Year’s Eve party going on at the time, and it moved to the hospital to welcome her into this world. She tried to uphold the tradition into which she was born by making everyone who was in her presence feel as if they were always at a party.

Blitch Ann was a graduate of Metter High School, attended Georgia Southern College (now University), and received her bachelor’s degree in Clothing and Textiles from the University of Georgia. She later received her master’s degree in Accounting from Georgia State University which led to a career as a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Analyst.  She was proudest, however, of her accomplishments as president and board member of the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, an organization that allowed her to distribute grant money to worthy projects throughout the state of Georgia. Her hometown of Metter was always at the forefront of her mind when decisions were being made, and Metter and Candler County organizations were beneficiaries of several grants throughout her tenure.

After living in many different places, Blitch Ann settled in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where she became a well-known and revered member of the community. However, when illness began to take its toll, she felt the pull of home, and in June of 2020, she moved back to Metter into the house built by her grandfather, Dexter Bird in 1912. Wherever she lived, Blitch Ann made an impact with her ready smile, her fondness of a joke, and her genuine love of everyone whose life she touched. She formed an immediate and lasting friendship with almost everyone she met, and if that person happened to be single, she was immediately playing matchmaker, because she knew someone in every corner of the state and beyond. Most importantly, she made it her business to never lose touch with her friends, somehow managing to keep up with every detail of their lives.

Blitch Ann was beautiful, both inside and out, and won her first beauty pageant at age two. She later was crowned Miss Candler County, the Georgia Peanut Princess, and Miss Georgia in the Miss Georgia World Pageant. The latter titles allowed her to travel throughout the country as an ambassador for her home state, a job which she relished and performed with a high degree of expertise. No one could forget the petite little beauty from Georgia with the unusual name and captivating smile.

A rabid Georgia Bulldog, Blitch Ann attended home football games until her health declined, and she was an active chapter advisor for her sorority, Delta Gamma, for many years setting an example for young women of how they could be stylish and beautiful, as well as strong and respected in the world of business. She was indeed an icon.

Blitch Ann was a faithful attendee of Smoke Rise Baptist Church in Stone Mountain, and was especially fond of her Sunday School Class there, but she remained a lifelongmember of the Metter First Baptist Church. She was brave and unflinching in the face of adversity, unwavering in her faith, and strong willed and determined in accomplishing a goal. She loved easily and was easily loved in return.

Surviving are her sister Rena Webb; her brother-in-law, Jerry Webb; nieces and nephews, Jessie Blitch “Jeb” Webb, Mack Rowland, Jay Webb, Jerry Kay Webb, and Monica Dorner; several great nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held April 12, 2021, at 2:00 P.M. at the Pavillion in Lake Church Cemetery with visitation following. Pastor Tom Osborne will officiate.

Remembrances may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123; Metter First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 34, Metter, GA 30439; The Sunshine House, 705 North Lewis Street, Metter, GA 30439, or the charity of the donor’s choice.

Kennedy Funeral Homes, Hooks Chapel, of Metter is in charge of the arrangements.

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