Pocahontas Byrd

Pocahontas Birchett Bryd, 96, also loving known to family and friends as Pokie, was born on May 2, 1915 in Clinton, North Carolina to the late Willie and eternal rest at the McCarrick Care Center located in Somerset, New Jersey after many years of being afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Pocahontas was the second oldest of four children born to Mr. and Mrs. Birchett. She was formally educated to the eighth grade in North Carolina. It was during her adolescent years, when she and her family relocated to Petersburg, Virginia during the Great Depression Era. Petersburg, VA became the settling where she met and married the love her life, the late George Byrd, otherwise known as “T”. Pocahontas and George married in April 1940 and gave birth to their only child, Joyce Ann Gay (nee Byrd) in 1942. Pocahontas and George were married for approximately fifty-years until his death in 1989. In 1948, the Byrd family relocated to Baltimore, Maryland. During her years in Baltimore, Pocahontas was briefly employed with a pharmaceutical company, until she began her employment as a nanny for the family of Julius and Claire Rosen. Pocahontas was employed by the Rosen family for approximately twenty-five-years until her retirement. During her tenure as a nanny, Pocahontas was allotted with the opportunity to travel to such regions of the world as North Africa, Middle East and the Caribbean. Pocahontas was known to her family and friends as being a warm hostess and excellent chef with an understated stylish flair for dressing. Pocahontas would often be seen donning hats over her black hair with the signature gray streak. She prided herself on her renowned savory dishes and desserts. Her other creative hobbies included needle point, crochet and knitting. Pocahontas had an infectious laugh that would always place a smile on those around her. Furthermore, she had an emphatic love for her family and God. Pocahontas was a devoted and lifelong member of Sharon Baptist Church and served as a Deaconess. She was honored by the titles of daughter, wife, mother and caregiver. Pocahontas has infinitely affected the lives of all that met and knew her. She is survived by: her daughter, Joyce A. Gay of Highland Park, New Jersey; her granddaughter, Lisa Pocahontas Gay of Highland Park, New Jersey; her sister, Lillian Brown of New Haven, Connecticut; a surrogate son, Robert H. Byrd, Jr. of Chesterfield, Virginia; her son-in-law, James M. Gay of Highland Park, New Jersey; a sister-in-law, Louise Birchett of Baltimore, Maryland; and a host of nieces, nephews , family members and friends; especially her lifelong devoted friend, Irene Gay of Highland Park, NJ. She was preceded in death by: her father, Willie Birchtt; her mother, Sallie Jackson (2000); her husband, George Byrd (1989); and siblings, Hettie Birchett (1986) and Thomas Birchett (2008).

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Pocahontas Byrd

May 2, 1915 - March 21, 2012