Luba Baird

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Luba Baird, 95, longtime resident of Chestnut Hill passed away on December 15. She was born Luba Kaufman on July 31, 1929 to classical musicians Gita and Schima Kaufman in Philadelphia, PA. Her father was a professional violinist for the Philadelphia Orchestra and Honolulu Symphony. Her mother taught piano in the Philadelphia Public Schools. She was a graduate of Overbook High School (2nd in her class) and the University of Pennsylvania, to which she won a four-year academic scholarship. It was there that she acquired her lifelong passion for literature. 

Her early career was as a social worker for the Department of Public Welfare and later at Get Set, an early child intervention program. Later, she switched careers entirely and became a paralegal at Dechert, Price, and Rhoads, a law firm in Philadelphia until her retirement in the 1980s.

With a succession of cats always by her side, she had a love for all things Italian including Renaissance art and opera, which she sang with gusto. She took 26 annual trips to her beloved Venice, where she had a strong connection, and had made many friends. 

Luba was gregarious, friendly, a staunch democrat, a strong supporter of those in need, and a loyal friend. In her retirement years, she volunteered for Women Against Rape, sang in a community chorus, supported animal rights, and participated in an Italian language group she had stumbled onto in a Chestnut Hill coffee shop. All of these gave her great pleasure. But her greatest pleasure was her family. She is survived by her daughters, Leslie Hough and Katy Lewis, her sons- in-laws, John Sudol and Steve Lewis, and her grandsons, Joshua Lewis and Daniel Lewis (who called her Buba.)

Most would say she was one of a kind.

She was predeceased by her last partner, Dick Beckman, of Mount Airy in 2023.

Donations can be made to:  Kitty Cottage Adoption Center: A No-Kill, Cage-Free Shelter. www.kittycottage.org