WINTHROP – Mrs. Anne L. (Cobb) Bird, 72, passed away on Friday in Maine General Medical Center following a decline in her health. She is the beloved wife of the late Robert E. Bird.

Anne was born July 17, 1948 in Augusta. She is the daughter of the late Richard “Chick” and Marion (Hyatt) Cobb. She grew up on the Cobb Farm in Winthrop until moving to Des Plaines, Ill. for 38 years and then Elgin, Il. for 10 years until moving back to Winthrop in August of 2019.

Anne was a graduate from the University of Maine’s first 4 year nursing program in Portland in 1970. Shortly after graduation she married Robert Bird of Chicago who previously had been stationed at Dow Air Force Base and moved to Illinois where she began her career first at Evanston Hospital. She eventually settled down into her career at Northwest Community Hospital where she worked for 40+ years until her retirement. At NWCH, she was not just a nurse, and those who worked with her knew how special she was. She started out working in the ICU for 10 years before becoming a floor nurse and student trainer. Then she received specialty training at the Rehabilitation Institute in Chicago focused on stroke and ortho/neuro initiatives. During this time she also participated on a special team who worked with the National Institutes of Health testing TPA in stoke situations before it became a standard of care. Additionally she participated on a work team in creating the specific care pathing of common admissions to organize care from different departments in order to reduce the time of care and number of days for each patient’s stay in the hospital. After these projects she moved into Case Management until retirement.

Anne loved and treasured the time she spent with her family and friends. She enjoyed entertaining and bringing people together. She was a member of the First Congregational Church in Elgin, where she made many friends who became like family and after moving back to Maine, the First Congregational Church of Winthrop where she made new friends. Anne loved history, traveling, music, movies and trivia. She had a true appreciation for everything around her. She also enjoyed participating in several social groups and clubs in Elgin including Matheans, ADOBE and travel class.

She is survived by her daughter Jennifer Phillips and her husband Curt of Winthrop; her sisters Judy Fernald of Hampden and Pat Cobb of Shrewsbury, Mass., her brothers Kevin Cobb of Winthrop, David Cobb of Winthrop, Rick Cobb of Monmouth and Stephen Snow-Cobb of Turner Falls, Mass.; her loving grandson Richard “Ricky” Phillips; and Jonathan Shen, her International student whom she treated as another member of the family. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Anne’s visiting hours will be in the Roberts Funeral Home, 62 Bowdoin St. Winthrop on Thursday, April 22, 2021 from 3 to 6 p.m. There will be a celebration of her life on the Cobb Farm in Winthrop on July 17 at a time to be announced. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Following the guidelines set forth by the State of Maine and the CDC face masks and social distancing will be required.

Arrangements are in the care of the Roberts Funeral Home, 62 Bowdoin St. Winthrop, where condolences may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the website at http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com

Memorial gifts

can be made to:

Winthrop Maine

Historical Society

PO Box 33

Winthrop, ME 04364

Please put Anne Bird/building fund

in the memo section