CAMDEN — Janet Bird Burns, 88, a longtime resident of Camden, passed away peacefully Jan. 21, 2016, after a long illness in Manchester, N.H.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sept. 3, 1927, Janet Bird Burns was the only child of Ruth Leach Bird and Eugene Hunt Bird of Leslie and Stockbridge, Mich.

Her childhood was spent in West Newton, Mass., attending public schools, and then Beaver Country Day, School from which she graduated with highest honors. She graduated from the College of Architecture at the University of Michigan in 1949.

Bird married Donald Ward of Lorain, Ohio, also a Michigan graduate, and spent her married life in Andover and North Andover, Mass., where she taught English at the Pike School, a private grade school in Andover. After her first marriage ended, she married her second husband, retired U.S. Navy Capt. David M. Burns of Waltham, Mass., in 1971.

She and David moved to Whispering Pines, N.C., for several years, but decided to live in New England and Florida. Her love of Camden made it a natural choice for their northern home. Her other home was in Sarasota, Fla., where she studied and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Ringling School of Art. At that point, she became a professional artist. Bird maintained a small gallery in her home on Washington Street in Camden and was represented by several other galleries in Maine and Florida. She won numerous regional and national honors for her work in watercolor.

In 2002, Bird, as she was known to all who knew her, and David became year-round residents of Camden.

An avid golfer all her life, Bird won several club championships in her younger years. She was a member of the Rockland Golf Club and enjoyed playing with her friends there. She enjoyed climbing Mount Battie and cross country skiing in the Maine woods.

A former board member of Kno-Wal-Lin, a home care and hospice facility in Rockland; she was also a charter member of the Andonis Society, a nonprofit for education; and a member of the First Congregational Church UCC of Camden.

Her beloved husband, David, died in 2004. Surviving is her son, Eugene Ward and his wife, Mary Lou, of Hollis, N.H.; her stepdaughters, Lisel Burns of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Stephanie Burns of Lee, N.H.; and her three daughters, Darcy Smith, Megan Smith and Seija Koski; and her stepdaughter, Katy Taylor and her husband, Barry, of Freeport, Bahamas, and their son, Burns.

Bird spent her final years at Quarry Hill in Camden, living first at a cottage, then in assisted living. She had more recently relocated to Manchester, N.H., to be near her son.

Services will be announced at a later date.

Memorial gifts may be made to the First Congregational Church UCC, 55 Elm Street, Camden, ME 04843 or to Kno-Wal-Lin, c/o Pen Bay Healthcare, 22 White Street, Rockland, ME 04841.

Arrangements are with Long Funeral Home.