Olive Graves Bayard Obituary (1937 - 2016)

Olivia Bayard, age 78, passed away peacefully at home on April 6, 2016, in Saddlebrooke, AZ. Olivia spent the last twelve years of her life in Saddlebrooke, making friends and enjoying an active life in the sunshine. Olivia was a fixture in the community, known for taking long walks with her beloved dog, Annie. Olivia loved to stop and chat with her neighbors and friends, and she was active in the community, ushering at the Desert View Theatre and volunteering at the Western National Parks Association. She played tennis in a women's group, organized communion services for the Resurrection Lutheran Church, and baked dozens and dozens of cookies for friends every holiday season. Always smiling, she was thoughtful, kind, and generous. Olivia was born in San Antonio, Texas on September 17, 1937 to Amos Maverick Graves and Therese Fischer Graves. She grew up with her sisters, riding horses, swimming, and developing an early love for fast cars when her father gave her a Thunderbird for her 17th birthday. For high school, she attended St. Mary's Hall in San Antonio. She then attended college at various institutions, including Smith College, the University of Texas, the Sorbonne in Paris, and Trinity University. On June 7, 1958, she married Nicholas Hoffman Bayard. Olivia and Nick lived in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennington, New Jersey, where they raised their three children. Olivia loved to garden, kept an immaculate house, and spent time with her children and friends. The whole family loved animals; the house in Pennington was always bursting at the seams with dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, turtles, fish, and even a parrot whose favorite phrase was "Hello, Olivia!" followed by a wolf whistle. Her greatest passion was raising her three children, teaching them to be respectful and polite and instilling in them her indefatigable work ethic. She began her now-infamous daily dog-walking regimen in Pennington. To fend off the winter chill she grudgingly put up with, Olivia sported a pink puffy coat and white moon boots on her dog-walking escapades. Even there, she developed friendships along the way and came home with stories. After divorcing in 1981, Olivia went back to work. Juggling her new responsibilities with family life put new demands on her, which weren't always easy, but she persevered with grace and good cheer (most of the time). She worked as a parish administrator at All Saint's Church in Princeton, New Jersey, and then as an administrative assistant at the United States Tennis Association. When her youngest son went to college in Oregon and her mother's health deteriorated, Olivia returned to San Antonio to care for her and reconnect with her childhood friends. There, she worked for ten years as the executive assistant to the Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. It was here, in San Antonio, that a stray dog--"Little Orphan" Annie --walked into her life, became her faithful companion, and gave Olivia an excuse to never stop walking. After retiring from the church, Olivia set out for Arizona, seeking even more sunshine and a new start. For the first time in her life, she felt totally embraced by a community, and she now took time to follow her own interests and forge special new friendships. For her children, it was amazing to see in her last days how many people were touched by Olivia's smile, kind words, and optimism. Olivia is survived by her two daughters, her son, and four grandchildren. Her daughter, Sarah Southam, and husband, Peter, have two children, Samantha and Max. Her daughter, Elizabeth Bayard, has two children, Piper and Hudson McCarthy. Her son, Sam Bayard, is married to Nicole Brown. Olivia always took pride in her children and grandchildren and avidly kept abreast of their endeavors, travels, and achievements. Olivia is also survived by her sisters Laura Graves Avery and Therese Graves Coutret, and her ex-husband Nicholas Hoffman Bayard. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Olivia's name to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, Utah 84741 (http://bestfriends.org/); Casa de la Luz Hospice, 7740 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson, AZ 85704 (https://casahospice.com/); or Resurrection Lutheran Church, 11575 N 1st Ave, Oro Valley, AZ 85737 (http://www.orovalley.org/). The family would like to thank the staff of the Oro Valley Hospital and the Casa de la Luz Hospice for their care and guidance.